Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Ahead of today’s commencement of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar; and his party; have filed an application for an order to allow live coverage of day-to-day proceedings of the tribunal.
A three-man panel of the PEPC, today (May 9), is due to begin a pre-hearing session on all petitions that were brought before it at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Atiku and the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, are currently challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, as the winner of the February 25 presidential poll, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of suppressing their votes and inflating Tinubu’s.
Ikengaonline had reported that while INEC declared Tinubu winner of the contest in the dead of the night, Atiku was placed second, and Obi third.
According to the results declared by INEC, Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 while Atiku and Obi polled 6,984,520; 6,101,533 votes respectively.
But both Atiku and Obi are insisting that the electoral umpire be compelled to produce the data of the results of the poll as contained in its Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System BVAS machines central server.
Atiku had in his main suit, prayed the court to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Tinubu by INEC, arguing that the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election was “invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.”
The PDP candidate in the fresh motion through his team of lawyers led by Chris Uche, SAN, applied for “An order, directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the courtroom.”
He argued that his petition against Tinubu was “a matter of national concern and public interest,” hence the need for its live transmission for transparency.
According to Atiku, the case involves citizens and the electorate in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, who he said voted and participated in the presidential poll.
Atiku argued that the electorate were interested in following up with the happenings at the tribunal, and should not be denied the opportunity which is their right.
He further argued that the International Community was also interested in proceedings of the tribunal.
Atiku said that “televising court proceedings is not alien to election tribunal in the country, and will enhance public confidence.”
“With the huge and tremendous technological advances and developments in Nigeria and beyond, including the current trend by this court towards embracing electronic procedures, virtual hearing and electronic filing, a departure from the rules to allow a regulated televising of the proceedings in this matter is in consonance with the maxim that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done,” he added.
Tinubu had in his response to the main suits through his team of lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, queried the legal competence of all petitions seeking to set aside his victory.
There have also been a clamour by Nigerians for the live transmission of the proceedings of the tribunal.
The Supreme Court judgment of the petition against former President Olusegun Obasanjo who won the April 29, 2003 presidential poll was transmitted live.
