Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Presidential Election Petitions Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, has hinted that it would bar lawyers, newsmen and others from accessing the courtroom with their mobile phones.
Chairman of the five-man panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani gave the warning Tuesday during the resumed hearing in the petition by Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, against Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
This is as the court overruled Tinubu, and consolidated different petitions by Obi and Atiku seeking to nullify Tinubu’s election.
The panel in a unanimous decision, dismissed objections and APC opposing the merger of the petitions.
According to the court, the cases demanded that they should be consolidated and dealt with as one petition since they all relate to the same election.
The court slated May 30 for Obi to open his case against the outcome of the presidential election that held on February 25.
Obi had earlier said he needed seven weeks to present his case through 50 witnesses but the court reduced the period to three weeks.
It gave the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Tinubu and the Vice President-Elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, five days each to defend the petition.
