Lawyers at the PEPT
Di Presidential Election Petition tribunal don dey end as parties wey challenge di 2023 election don begin close dia cases.
Di panel of judges bin give Presidential candidates and policial parties wey dey challenge di February election three weeks to argue dia petition, present witnesses and evidence for di matter.
Di main parties wey challenge di election na di People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and di Labour Party as well as as dia presidential candidates; Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. Di Allied People’s Movement (APM) also file dia own petition.
Atiku, Obi and dia parties no accept di declaration of Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress as di winner of election.
Dem dey challenge both president Tinubu and di Independent National Electoral Commission wey declare di result.
Di kontri election body Inec announce di candidate of di ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu as winner of di 25 February 2023 Presidential elections.
For di final scores, APC record 8,794,726 votes followed by opposition parties like di Peoples Democratic Party wey get 6,984,520. For third place, Labour Party score 6,101,533 and di New Nigeria Peoples Party get 1,496,687.
Di 2023 election turn out to be one wey most of di players try very hard to win di race to rule di kontri since dia return to civil rule for 1999.
Di candidates of di APC, PDP and Labour Party bin dey neck and neck. Bola Tinubu win 12 states, Atiku Abubakar also win 12 states. Peter Obi too win 12 states including di FCT.
To win di presidential election for Nigeria, a candidate go need to get di most votes and 25% of ballots cast for two-thirds of Nigeria 36 states and di FCT to be declared as di winner.
How di hearing waka?
Na di Allied People’s Movement (APM) first close dia case against president Tinubu.
APM main point na say oga Tinubu no suppose dey on di ballot over alleged double nomination of im running mate dem, Senator Kashim Shettima and Kabir Masari, wey im bin nominates as “place holder” Vice President nominee.
Di party dey challenge di withdrawal of Kabiru Masari in view of Section 131(c) and 142 of di 1999 Constitution, as amended.
APM tender several exhibits through dia only witness, Aisha Abubakar.
Former Vice president Atiku Abubakar close im case on Friday.
Dis na afta e present 27 witnesses out of di 100 im tell court say im go bring.
Some of di evidence wey oga Atiku call na Senator Dino Melaye wey serve as di National collation agent of di PDP. Dem also call some tech experts, one Inec official, AIT presenter Ijeomah Osamor, among odas.
For di hearing on di day wey im close im case, di Presidential election petition court accept in evidence one transcript wey aid di admission into Chicago State University wey South West College do in di name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wey dem identify as female gender.
Atiku Abubakar and PDP present dis evidence and oda documents for dia joint petition.
Oda documents dem present wey court also admit today na;
Certified True Copy of certificate wey Chicago State University give Bola Tinubu.
We closed our case today at the election petition court. In addition to the other evidence led to proof Atiku won the majority of the lawful votes cast, three defining documents where tendered and admitted in evidence today, to witt
1. Guinea international passport
2. Chicago…
— D. H Bwala (@BwalaDaniel) June 23, 2023
Dem also present judgement of di USA court for criminal forfeiture of asset of oga Tinubu and a printout of im Guinea Passport.
Di respondent oga Bola Tinubu and Inec oppose di evidence dem wey PDP bring. Dem also no agree wit di testimonies of di witnesses. But court accept Atiku documents dem as evidence.
Drama dem wey happun during di hearing
Di pre-hearing stage of di Presidential Election Petition Court start from 8 to 23 May, 2023.
Di pre-hearing stage na wia all di parties bin agree on di documents and number of witnesses dem go bring.
Dem also agree on di number of weeks wey dem go use prove dia case.
But di pre-hearing session no complete without di drama wey happun for court wen di factional acting chairman of Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa show face for court.
On 18 May, 2023 na di first day Lamidi Apapa show face for di Presidential Election Petition Court.
Im presence cause small katakata as dem no allow am siddon for wia oda party members sit.
Apapa show face again on 19 May, 2023 na dia di main katakata burst as oda party supporters mob and attack am.
Inec Chairman oga Yakubu no show face
Inec Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu no honour di invitation for am to appear before di presidential court to ansa keshions about im role for di February election.
Na PDP bin invite am through subpoena to come court.
But oga Mahmood no show. Rather, e send Moronkeji Tairu, a deputy director in charge of certification and complaint for Inec headquarters Abuja to represent am.
Di Inec official tender electoral documents both in soft and hard copies before di court.
Some of di documents wey Inec tender for di court na;
Wetin go happun next
For di most time for di pre-hearing and hearing period, di respondents - Inec, di All Progressives Congress (APC), president Bola Tinubu bin dey do collabo until dem begin present Certified True Copies of Polling unit results and oda vital Inec documents.
Afta all di petitioners don close dia cases, di respondents – dat na INEC, APC and president Tinubu go gatz defend dem sefs.
Dis na im go be di next stage of di tribunal.
Already during di pre-hearing period, Inec say dem go only present to witnesses to defend dia action for di February election.
President Bola Tinubu say im go present 39 witnesses while imparty, APC say dem get 25 witnesses to call.
Afta PDP formally apply to close dia case on Friday, di court adjourn to 3 July, 2023 for di respondents to begin dia defence.
