It's no longer news that five
political parties initially filed petitions to challenge the victory of the
President-elect and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu.
While two of the lot namely the
Action People’s Party (APP) and the Action Alliance (AA) have decided to
withdraw their petitions during the first week of proceedings, the likes of
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Labour Party
have refused to give up the chase.
Likewise, Peter Obi and Atiku
Abubakar both of the Labour Party and the PDP respectively have vowed to
continue their arguments on why Tinubu's victory should be nullified.
While the first week of
proceedings was full of intrigues and legal fireworks as highlighted here, week
two has thrown up some dramatic scenes. Here are some of the interesting events
that caught our attention.
Peter Obi meets his accuser in court
The Labour Party candidate
appeared in court again on Thursday, May 18, 2023, to monitor the pre-hearing
of his petition, but had other matters to deal with.
Apparently, an Obi doppelganger
has been on the prowl, mimicking his voice and hues. This claim was made by the
former Anambra State Governor after meeting Prince Mustapha Audu, the son of
the late Governor of Kogi State, Abubakar Audu.
Audu had accosted a Labour Party
chieftain, Dr Yunusa Tanko, in the court premises and narrated how the
presidential candidate had called him on the phone while he was in front of his
office on Tuesday morning at about 11 am.
Audu alleged that Obi quickly
dropped the call having realised that he couldn't reply to him in Igbo
language, making him conclude that the 61-year-old politician is an ethnic and
religious bigot.
Obi left his seat in the
courtroom to speak with Audu immediately after the allegation was brought to
his notice. He explained to the late governor's son that he never initiated the
call and was outside the country on the day the incident allegedly happened.
Apapa causes a stir in the
court
Pa Lamidi Apapa perhaps got more than he bargained for when
he appeared at the presidential tribunal on Wednesday.
The factional Labour Party
National Chairman had stormed the courtroom accompanied by a handful of his
supporters but a melee ensued as he tried to exert his supremacy over the Julius Abure-led faction.
This led to a shouting match in
the courtroom as Labor Party officials and Apapa supporters had a go at
each other. However, when the party's case was called, Obi and the Labour Party’s Women Leader, Dudu Manoga were on the
court's record.
Apapa also stood up introducing
himself as the National Chairman of the party, but Justice Haruna Tsammani asked him to stop the introduction,
saying the court won’t recognise the ‘National Chairman’ on record.
The disappointed factional
Chairman faced another humiliation as Labour Party supporters, lying in wait
within the court premises, booed and roughed him on his way out of the
courtroom.
Undaunted Apapa returns to
court
Not intimidated by the threats
from the Obidients camp, the controversial Chairman attended proceedings again
on Friday, but this time without any drama.
Images from the court showed
Apapa sitting quietly to observe proceedings and was later seen with a police
escort as he made his exit after the session.
Judge shuts down Apapa-led
faction's lawyer
Another drama occurred on Friday
as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who had been briefed by the Apapa-led
faction of the Labour Party, was shut down by the judge as he attempted to
announce an appearance for the party.
This happened after Obi’s
petition against Tinubu was called for a hearing and lawyers were asked to
announce their appearances.
Chief Oba Maduabuchi, SAN, stood
up and told the court that he was briefed to represent the Labour Party. His
address came after Prof. Awa Kalu, SAN, who appeared alongside five other SANs
had already announced his presence as counsel for the petitioners.
However, Justice Tsammani-led's
five-member panel of the court declined to record Maduabuchi's appearance,
while also scolding the lawyer for accepting the brief when he was aware that
the party already had its team of lawyers.
Tinubu tackles Atiku over request for live broadcast
Counsels to Tinubu and the Vice
President-elect, Kashim Shettima, have argued against the request made by Atiku
and the PDP to have proceedings at the presidential tribunal televised.
The former Vice President had
asked the court last week to allow proceedings televised live to Nigerians and
other interested global audiences in the spirit of justice and transparency.
But, arguing against the motion,
the respondents, represented by their legal team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun,
expressed their respect for the petitioners while labelling the motion as an
abuse of the court's processes.
They criticised the application,
deeming it frivolous, and stressed that the court is not a platform for public
entertainment but a space for serious legal proceedings.
Arguing separately when the
matter was called at the PEPC, the respondents said live telecast of
proceedings could ridicule the traditional solemn nature of court proceedings.
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