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.
A Political Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election, describing it as a joke.
Masari made the remark while addressing members of the Jigawa State Academics Forum.
SEE MORE: ‘A Nation Cannot Escape the Bill’ — Atiku Questions Tinubu’s Third UNGA Absence
According to him, Atiku’s political ambition would not be achieved through what he described as desperation, insisting that the former vice president was aware of the situation.
“Even Atiku himself knows he is just joking and kidding,” Masari said.
The presidential aide also described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the dominant political party in the country and framed the 2027 election as a choice between continuing the Tinubu administration’s programmes and returning to the opposition.
Masari highlighted infrastructure development, economic diversification, security and poverty reduction as areas the Tinubu administration was prioritising.
He also commended the Jigawa State Academics Forum for endorsing President Tinubu and Governor Umar Namadi for another term.
On education, Masari said the Federal Government was giving the sector priority, adding that the university academic calendar had stabilised and students were benefiting from federal student loans.
His comments come as political parties and opposition figures intensify preparations for the 2027 general election.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be questioned if there were any irregularities in the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
Sule made the remarks during an appearance on Mic On Podcast, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, an Arise TV anchor, while responding to questions about allegations surrounding the 2023 presidential election and INEC’s handling of the process.
The governor noted that INEC was the body that conducted and declared the election, saying: “INEC declared that I won the election in 2023. INEC that determined the election.”
SEE ALSO: 2027: Tinubu Has Done Enough Good To Win Re-Election — Gov Sule
Speaking about claims that both Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar believed they won the 2023 presidential election, Sule questioned how the APC could have manipulated the election against both candidates.
He said: “So who won the election between Peter Obi and Atiku? Take President Asiwaju out. So who now rigged each other between the PDP and then the Labour Party? Because you are saying that Peter Obi said he won, Atiku said he won—”
On concerns over glitches on INEC’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the presidential election and allegations that “something fishy” may have happened, Sule said INEC should provide answers if there were any irregularities.
He stated: “Well, if something fishy went down, it is INEC herself that would be asked that question.”
Sule also referred to subsequent elections conducted under the current INEC leadership, including the Osun and Anambra governorship elections.
According to him, APC lost the Osun election without similar complaints, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won in Anambra.
He said: “You know, and so far, all the elections… he held the election in Osun, and they didn’t say there was anything wrong with that one, because APC lost. We had an election in Anambra, there was no problem about that one, because APGA won.”
“You know, so it is anywhere APC won now that there is a problem. It doesn’t… life doesn’t work that way.” the governor added.
Human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take preventive measures to protect former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Ejiofor raised concerns over Obi’s safety ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that any harm to the presidential candidate could have serious consequences for Nigeria’s political and democratic environment.
READ MORE: 2027: Peter Obi ‘Unfit’ To Govern Nigeria — Onanuga Declares
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ejiofor said Obi’s recent expression of concern about his personal safety should not be dismissed as ordinary political rhetoric.
He said when a presidential candidate publicly expresses uncertainty about his safety ahead of an election, the appropriate response should be “vigilance, sober inquiry and preventive action.”
“Nothing must happen to Obi,” Ejiofor said, calling on Tinubu to act now to protect the former Anambra governor and the democratic space.
The lawyer also cited recent developments surrounding the 2027 political season, including Obi’s complaints about difficulties faced by opposition politicians campaigning in some states and the controversy surrounding the obstruction of his convoy during a visit to Benue State.
According to Ejiofor, the circumstances require greater attention from government institutions, security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders.
He warned that if anything happened to Obi, the consequences could extend beyond the individual and potentially affect Nigeria’s already delicate electoral environment.
“If anything should happen to Peter Obi—God forbid!—the consequences would extend far beyond the individual concerned,” he said, describing the possible consequences as “disastrous and devastating.”
Ejiofor urged the Federal Government, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties and state authorities to ensure that presidential candidates can campaign peacefully and that voters can freely hear competing political views.
He also called for political disagreements to be settled through the ballot and the law rather than intimidation, coercion or violence.
“Prevention is wiser than mourning,” Ejiofor said, stressing that Nigeria should not wait for a tragedy before taking steps to address concerns surrounding the 2027 political environment.
He further appealed for an electoral atmosphere where every legitimate contestant can campaign, political parties can organise peacefully and citizens can freely listen to and support candidates of their choice.
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