Five political parties and their candidates are respectively challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election on grounds of non-compliance with the electoral laws as well as the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
As the Presidential Petition Court begins preparing today, the name of justices who will be presiding over the petition is Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Haruna Tsammani, Justice Stephen Adah of the Court of Appeal Asaba division, Justice Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf, Court of Appeal also of Asaba Division, Justice Boloukuoromo Ugoh of Kano division, Justice Abba Mohammed of Ibadan Court of Appeal.
Before the court stood down, the five-man panel of justices headed by the presiding justice of the PEPC, Justice Haruna Tsammani, gave the assurance that justice will be served.
Justice Tsammani said, “We are determined to look at the matter dispassionately and give justice to whoever deserves justice.”
He said they would consider the substance of each case over technicalities so that ” whoever leaves here will be satisfied that justice has been done.”
He warned parties against unnecessary applications that could delay proceedings.
As further disclosed by the presiding judge, the petitions to be considered today during the pre-hearing would be the first three petitions while the 4th and 5th petitions “can take off tomorrow.
They are marked CA/PEPC/01/2023 by the Action Alliance party and its standard bearer Solomon Okanigbuan; CA/PEPC/02/2023 filed by the Action People’s Party as the sole petitioner; and CA/PEP/03/2023 by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He said the cases will be alternated until the pre-hearing comes to an end.
” Then we will alternate until we finish the pre-hearing.”
The court resumes sitting by 10:30 am.