Today, Monday, May 8, the Presidential Election Tribunal will begin hearing petitions filed by dissatisfied opposition parties challenging the election of President-elect Bola Tinubu.
Recall that after Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential election, some candidates who were defeated in the race went to court to seek redress, alleging that the election was rigged in favour of the ruling party.
Recall that Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Pete Obi of the Labour Party, and others had petitioned the tribunal to overturn Tinubu’s victory on the grounds of substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the conduct of the election.
Atiku, a former vice president, is requesting that the court order the electoral body to hold a new election due to alleged irregularities at polling units during the presidential election.
According to Atiku and his party, Tinubu was declared the winner of the election despite the fact that INEC had yet to transmit and upload all results and accreditation data from polling units.
Obi, a former Anambra governor, is also alleging various irregularities in the election’s conduct, claiming that Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, were ineligible to run.
Obi also said that Tinubu failed to win the majority of lawful votes and was unable to garner one-quarter of votes in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
WITHIN NIGERIA reports that during the pre-hearing session today, the Court is expected to provide a full timetable for hearing the substantive petitions filed against the President-elect at the election tribunal.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo had alleged that some foreign lawyers had been flown into the country to stop Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29.
Also, a chieftain of the ruling party, Femi Fani-Kayode alleged in a tweet that former president, Olusegun Obasanjo contracted foreign lawyers for Peter Obi.
In a jeering tweet, the former Aviation Minister captioned a video, “when Peter heard that the Russian lawyer that OBJ had procured for him to represent him at the Election Petition Tribunal was no longer coming. Poor, tired soul! Pls pray for him”.
However, Dr Yunusa Salisu Tanko, Chief Spokesperson, LP presidential campaign council in the already concluded election told newsmen on Sunday that members of Obi’s legal team are all Nigerians.
He said, “As far as I know, the lawyers are all Nigerians, I have not seen any foreign lawyer in the legal team.”
He expressed optimism at the outcome of the process, insisting that the party’s candidate would be making presentations that cannot be faulted.
“From what we are presenting to the court, we are very optimistic that they cannot find fault in our presentation”, he added.