The Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned hearing in the petition by the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu due to the alleged refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to make some critical election materials available to him.
The Court on Tuesday, adjourned further hearing in the petition till June 7 pending the time the electoral body is expected to have responded to the request of Atiku and the People’s Democratic Party PDP for documents supply.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Eyitayo Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, representing Atiku had sought to tender forms EC8A from 10 out of the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State to establish the petition against Tinubu.
The exhibits, mainly documents used for the February 25 Presidential Election are those from Ankpa, Dekina, Idah, Ofu, Olamaboro, Yagba East, Yagba West, Kabba-Bunu, Igalamela Odolu and Kogi were sought to be tendered by the PDP presidential candidate.
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Although the schedule of documents to the effect was filed along with the exhibits, the Court, however, noted that tendering such sensitive exhibits at piece meals would not be of any help, especially in the areas of marking and numbering.
Jegede who rose to the questions put to him by the Court stood his grounds and blamed INEC for the deliberate refusal to supply his client with the vital documents.
The Senior lawyer who hinted to the Court that, Atiku had paid as much as N6m for the supply of the Certified True Copy of the exhibits lamented that the electoral body had not been forthcoming and cooperating as required.
Jegede explained that to save the situation, the legal team of the former Vice President had to subpoena top officials of INEC to compel them to bring the required documents before the Court.
The senior lawyer in the end, however, sought for a 24-hour adjournment to enable him approach the electoral body to do the needful.
Following no objections from counsel to the respondents, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani adjourned the matter till June 7 for continuation.
Emmanuel Ukoh
