The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), and its presidential candidate in the recently concluded presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, have filed an application for an order allowing live coverage of the daily court proceedings on the case they filed against President-elect Bola Tinubu, which begin today.
In his legal team’s move, lead by Chris Uche, SAN, he expressly requested “an order directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the courtroom.”
Atiku, a two-time PDP presidential candidate, stated that the petition was of national significance and public interest.
His claim is that the case involves residents and electorates from the Federation’s 36 states who voted in the just ended presidential elections, and that the world community is interested in Nigeria’s democratic process.
They also argue in their motion that “with the huge and tremendous technological advances and developments in Nigeria and beyond, including the current trend by this court towards embracing electronic procedures, virtual hearing, and electronic filing, a departure from the rules to allow regulated televising of the proceedings in this matter is in consonance with the maxim that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.”
“Televising court proceedings is not new to this court, and it will boost public confidence,” the petitioners said.
They also asked the court to order the withdrawal of Tinubu’s Certificate of Return from the ruling All Progressives Congress by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The decision to declare Tinubu winner of the presidential election was “invalid due to non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022,” he said.
Tinubu, in a response sent through his legal team led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, questioned the legality of petitions seeking to annul his election win.
Tinubu decribed Atiku as a “consistent serial loser” who has crisscrossed several political parties since 1993 in quest of power in a preliminary objection filed before the court.
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