Presidential Election Tribunal To Consider PDP, LP’s live broadcast Request
LAGOS MAY 11TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on Tuesday gave an indication that it would consider the prayer of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party’s demand for a live broadcast of its proceedings.
The tribunal presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani asked the parties in the ongoing petitions to settle and decide on their objections, including the motion on notice filed by the PDP and its standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar requesting for the live broadcast of the presidential tribunal proceeding which began on Monday.
Tsammani gave the directive during Tuesday’s hearing when the matter was raised by counsel for the PDP and Atiku, Chris Uche, SAN.
Speaking at the resumed pre-hearing session, the head of the five-man panel assured that the application for a live broadcast of the proceedings “will be considered together with the other issues.”
The PDP and Atiku, in an application dated May 5, argued that televising the court sitting would enhance transparency and boost citizens’ confidence in the judicial process.
The PDP and Atiku are challenging the victory of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, in the February 25 presidential election on the grounds that the Independent National Electoral Commission failed to electronically upload the election results as of the time the winner was declared.
The respondents in the petition marked: CA/PEPC/05/2023, are the INEC, Tinubu and the APC.
“We were not part of that,” Tsammani countered.
The counsel for INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud acknowledged the application for a live broadcast of the proceedings which he described as “innocuous” and requested for time to respond “being served yesterday.”
He also adopted their answers in the pre-hearing information sheet filed on May 2.
Responding to the question of live coverage, he said they would wait for a formal response.
The lawyer to the president-elect, Akin Olujimi, SAN, said they would reply to the prayers for live media coverage of the proceedings at the appropriate time.
He added that he had an application to strike out the petition in addition to others.
The counsel to the APC, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, equally adopted the answers filed on May 2.
He said they had received the application and “we are taking steps to respond appropriately to the application.”
Fagbemi also told the court that he had filed two motions seeking to dismiss the petition and to strike out the responses of the petitioners.
On the motion for live broadcast filed by the petitioners, he said they would reply at the appropriate time.
Responding further, Uche argued that he was just hearing that the 2nd and 3rd respondents had filed their responses, adding that in the spirit of cooperation, he was prepared to accept service in the open court.
“We pray that the parties don’t insist on the maximum length of time if we are to make progress,’’ he said.
Fagbemi, however, objected to his statement, insisting on abiding by the rules.
‘’The motion was filed by 9:30 am and not in the open court. If he said counsel should cooperate, we will follow the time and we will not flout the rules,” he noted.
Tanko passed a vote of confidence on the court proceedings in the last two days.
He, however, urged the judiciary not to give in to intimidation and sentiments in dispensing its verdict.
He noted, “So far, so good, what the judges have said was so clear that they are going to look at the substance of the case. It is more important than looking at the technicalities.
“They also make us believe that they want to do away with this matter before swearing-in. That’s encouraging to us. Because the target is to ensure that whoever becomes the president does not have adjudication on his head. If defined deeply, it gives the power to Section 146 of the Constitution to come into action.
Party on swearing-in
“In the event that there is no president, the Senate president, Ahmad Lawan will take over. If the present case goes the way we are praying, what it means is that Lawan will take over as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And if Lawan is not returned in the 10th Assembly, he must hand over to the newly elected president of the Senate on June 10.’’
‘’He will then ask for nine months to conduct a fresh election for the president of the country to emerge. That is how it should be to avoid lacunas anywhere. That is no reason for anybody to be apprehensive. Our judiciary should act based on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PDP has commended the Supreme Court for upholding the election of Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, describing the ruling as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.
Also, Atiku in a statement signed by his media adviser, Paul Ibe has said that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System has come to stay as a legal instrument for the accreditation and transmission of election results in Nigeria.
The former Vice President stated this in response to the Supreme Court’s affirmation of Adeleke’s victory.
While congratulating the people of Osun State for the victory, Atiku added that the introduction of technology in the conduct of elections in Nigeria is progress that cannot be reversed.
“We are all witnesses to the copious references to the BVAS technology in coming up with this judgment. The law governing our elections has truly brought power to the people, and those power-mongering politicians who believe that they can freely subvert the inherent power of democracy now have their hopes dashed,” the statement read in part.
He further urged Nigerians to take an active interest in the nation’s democracy, saying, “We must not put the laws in our hands but remain vigilant because, as the saying goes, ‘eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
Punch
Short URL: https://newsrangers.com/?p=107369
Posted by News Rangers
on May 11 2023. Filed under National.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
