The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), has further adjourned pre-hearing in the petitions filed by Mr. Peter Obi and his Labour Party until Friday.
The panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, adjourned after parties submitted on their meeting promised on May 10 on exchange processes and responses and harmonization.
After listening to the submissions, Tsammani, said the petitioners would state their position documents and tender documents.
“The petition is further adjourned until May 19 (Friday).
Following the agreement by all the parties in the petition on May 10, the court adjourned until today (Wednesday).
Obi and the LP filed petitions marked CA/PEPC/03/2023.
The respondents are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Sen.Bola Tinubu and Sen. Kashim Shettima and All Progressives Congress (APC).
Counsel for the petitioners, Dr Levi Uzoukwu, SAN drew the attention of the court that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to produce the documents asked for.
He argued that INEC provided less than 30 percent in Rivers and Sokoto states.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) counsel, Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN pledged to hasten the proceedings.
He claimed that the petitioners refused to attend the meeting of the parties agreed on at the last sitting on May 10.
He said that he called the petitioners’ lead counsel to ask why their team was not at the meeting and he said they were not aware.
Mahmoud alleged that the petitioners walked out of the meeting on Tuesday.
Counsel to Sen. Bola Tinubu and Sen. Kashim Shettima, Wole Olanipakun (SAN) similarly said that after the agreement on May 10 by all parties, the 2nd and 3rd respondents set up a team.
He said the team was led by Ogwu Onoja, SAN and A.A. Malik, SAN, and others.
Olanipakun said he put a call across to the petitioners’ lead counsel asking how they would proceed in court today.
He added that the petitioners failed to respond to their documents filed, saying they needed up to Friday to respond.
The APC counsel, Lateef Fagbemi, aligned with the accounts of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents’ counsel.
He said there should not be a mistake of subpoena at this stage, it is whatever document produced that should be brought to the table.
He further said that the petitioners should look at the fundamental cause which is the refusal to pay the necessary fee as required by the law
He added that the court officials were present when the petitioners walked out, adding, Victor Umoh, SAN and others represented the team for the 4th respondent.
He said the effect of the report was that all true certified documents will not be objected to.
Responding, the petitioners’ counsel, Uzoukwu told the court that he was concerned over the language of his colleagues.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had declared Tinubu winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election after securing majority of votes cast at the poll.
He said Tinubu met the constitutional benchmark of scoring 25% in two-thirds of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Disagreeing with the outcome of the result, Obi and his party, LP filed a petition challenging the victory.
