Nigeria: Tribunal begins hearing petitions challenging Tinubu`s presidential victory

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

KANO, Nigeria (AA) – The Nigerian Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja began hearing petitions on Monday challenging Bola Ahmad Tinubu's victory in the February presidential election.

The five-member tribunal panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani has announced that it will begin its pre-hearing session with three petitions challenging the election of Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate.

In Monday's hearing, Peter Obi, the Labour Party's presidential candidate, prayed to the court to overturn Tinubu's victory on rigging charges.

He argued in the petition that there were numerous violations of the law and other irregularities in the presidential election in February, and he added that the electoral agency had violated its own regulations by delaying the uploading of polling station results on electronic machines, leaving the outcome open to manipulation.

The tribunal has postponed further pre-hearing proceedings until Wednesday after hearing the case.

The court similarly set the same date for a second petition filed by the Action People's Party, which includes almost the same allegations as the one challenging Tinubu's victory.

The People's Democratic Party's (PDP) case, in which Atiku Abubakar is the party's presidential candidate, was postponed by the tribunal until Tuesday.

Atiku has requested the tribunal to permit live broadcasting of the day-to-day proceedings pertaining to his petition.

Both Atiku and the PDP have prayed to the court specified in the petition for "an order directing the Court's Registry and the Parties on Modalities for Admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the Courtroom."

Justice Haruna Tsammani urged the parties to list all the witness statements and documents they would rely on or object to during the actual hearing of the petitions.

Meanwhile, the Action Alliance has withdrawn its petition against Tinubu. No explanation for the withdrawal was given when the pre-hearing started.