Politics
PEPT: Atiku, PDP To Wrap Up Suit Challenging Tinubu’s Victory
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his party are set to conclude their case at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) on Thursday.
They filed a joint petition challenging the results of the presidential election held on February 25.
As per the pre-hearing report, the petitioners were initially expected to wrap up their case on Tuesday.
However, during the ongoing hearing of the petition, Mr. Chris Uche, the lead counsel for the petitioners, informed the court that his clients had lost two of the allotted days. He requested an extension of two additional days.
The court granted Uche’s request, acknowledging that one of the lost days was June 12, which was observed as the Democracy Day public holiday.
Earlier in the proceedings, Mr. Chris Uche expressed his frustration to the court regarding the challenges they faced in obtaining Certified True Copies (CTC) of documents from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite the court’s appeal for cooperation.
In his remarks, Mr. Chris Uche likened the process of obtaining documents from INEC to requesting weapons from one’s opponents.
He mentioned that despite their request for the Form EC8A series from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), they had only received 14 batches thus far.
The senior counsel explained that INEC had brought the documents to court, but they were not organized properly, despite being certified by the commission.
“These are forms EC8A series from the 35 states and we will start with Abia, and after tendering it, all parties will come together to ensure that they are sorted out properly’’.
However, this statement by Mr. Chris Uche did not sit well with the court and other counsel present.
Mr. Kemi Pinhero, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), informed the court that the documents, despite being certified, had not been paid for.
He further emphasized that it was the responsibility of the petitioners to organize the documents they had subpoenaed.
In response to the situation, Justice Haruna Tsammani, the Chairman of the Court, decided to temporarily suspend the proceedings for approximately 10 minutes to allow the counsels to discuss and come to a resolution.
After the ten-minute recess, Chris Uche requested an adjournment from the court in order to allow his team to prepare a schedule for submitting the documents on Wednesday.
Consequently, the court adjourned the hearing of the petition until Wednesday.
In a statement to the press following the court session, Chris Uche expressed that under normal circumstances, the petitioners would have concluded their case on Tuesday.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has explained that the persistent crisis and legal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party compelled him to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The governor’s defection was formally announced on Monday by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Gusau.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the move was described as a necessary step taken in the interest of the state and supported by political stakeholders across Zamfara.
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According to the statement, Governor Lawal had remained committed to the PDP despite the ongoing leadership crisis and had made several efforts to reconcile factions within the party.
However, attempts to achieve peace and unity reportedly failed, leading to prolonged legal battles.
The development followed a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court.
The earlier judgment had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The governor was said to have informed political stakeholders during a series of meetings that he would make a final decision about his political future after the appellate court delivered its ruling.
Following the judgment, Lawal concluded that joining the APC would better position him to continue what he described as the “Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild Mission.”
His defection marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Zamfara State and could influence political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
ALSO READ: No Shake-Up in Ondo: Aiyedatiwa Denies Plot To Remove Deputy Gov
Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
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The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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