Why Tribunal Steps Down Obi, LP Petition Against President Tinubu, INEC
The Presidential Election Petition Court has stepped down hearing in the petition filed by Peter Obi and the Labour Party against the election of President Bola Tinubu.
This latest development is a result of an improper schedule of documents tendered before the court as proof of the allegations of malpractices during the February 25 presidential election.
The court, during its proceedings on Thursday, cited some inconsistencies in the documents from the 23 Local Government Areas of Benue State.
While efforts to reconcile the differences turned out to be unsuccessful, the decision of the counsel to Obi and the Labour Party, Chief Emeka Okpoko, SAN, to use documents not filed to conduct the proceedings was rejected on the ground of illegality.
The court thereafter stepped down the hearing of the petitithe on and ordered the legal team to go and re-file the schedule of documents in line with the provisions of the pre-hearing report.
Peter Obi and the Vice Presidential candidate of LP, Datti Baba Ahmed, alongside the leaders of the Party, were in the court, to witness the proceedings.
The five Justices led by Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani hearing the petition had also retired to their chambers while Obi’s legal team reconciled their documents.
PUNCH