The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, on Wednesday adjourned proceeding of the pre -hearing session of Peter Obi and Labour Party petition challenging Ahmed Bola Tinubu election victory to
next week Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
Presiding Justice of the panel , Justice Haruna Tsammani announced the sudden adjournment on Wednesday afternoon said the adjournment followed a unanimous agreement by the lead lawyers to parties involved in the petition .
According to our correspondent, the panel took the decision after listening to the submissions of the lead counsel, Justice Tsammani said “counsel have agreed that the matter be adjourned for one week.”
Justice Tsammani, however, ordered the lead lawyers to draw out issues to be determined in petition by the court. He commended the senior lawyers for taken the initiative adding that “if we follow strictly the agreement the matter will be speedily heard and determined within the time allowed.”
The Presiding Justice also expressed hope that counsel in other petitions pending the PEPC would adopt and follow same initiative to eliminate time wasting .
Recall that Peter Obi and Labour Party’s petition was adjourned on Monday to Wednesday May 9, 2023 for continuation of the pre -hearing session.
But when the matter came up, the lead counsel for the petitioner, Livy Uzoukwu SAN, informed the panel that subject to overriding convenience of the court, the lead counsel on both sides, that is the petitioners and four respondents to the petition have met and agreed as follows.
“We have agreed that since there are numbers of processes and applications yet to be filed and served, the matter should be adjourned to Wednesday 17 of May, 2023, so that when we come back all the processes and applications must have being in for adoption.”
We also agreed that before the adjourned date we will meet again and take decisions on documents that will not be objected to and those to be opposed.
Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, lead counsel to the 1st respondent the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, lead counsel to Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima the 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively and Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, lead counsel to All Progressives Congress, APC, all confirmed they met and agreed as stated by Nzoukwu SAN. Chief Fagbemi,SAN, added that they were unanimous that the procedure should be adopted.