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Presidential Election tribunal: Garba Replaces Bulkachuwa, Resumes Hearing Today on 16 Petitions
Justice Mohammed Garba, who replaced the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, on the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, took charge of the pre-hearing proceedings of the tribunal for the first time on Monday.
He called for the “fullest cooperation” of petitioners and their lawyers for the expeditious hearing of the pending petitions.
All the four petitions filed before the tribunal to challenge the February 23, 2019 presidential election came up on Monday, but one of them which was filed by the Coalition for Change and its candidate, Geff Ojinika, was withdrawn in the course of the proceedings, leaving three behind to be heard and determined by the five-man panel.
Justice Bulkachuwa had withdrawn from the panel on May 22, 2019 following an allegation of likelihood of bias levelled against her by the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate in the February 23, 2019 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar.
The petitioners’ allegation was based on the fact that Bulkachuwa’s husband, Adamu Bulkachuwa, is a senator-elect on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, the party whose victory at the February 23 presidential election they are challenging at the tribunal, and her son, Aliyu Abubakar, was a governorship aspirant on the platform of the same party in Gombe State.
Garba emerged on Monday as the replacement for Bulkachuwa, who withdrew her membership of the panel about 19 days ago.
Monday’s proceedings only came about 10 days after the legal team of the petitioners wrote Bulkachuwa a letter reminding her of her promise to name her replacement promptly.
Garba, who is the presiding justice of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, now leads Justices Abdul Aboki (Abuja Division), Joseph Ikyegh (Benin Division), Samuel Oseji (Lagos Division) and Peter Ige (Abuja Division) on the panel of the tribunal.
He said, “I will like to renew the call for the fullest cooperation of parties and their respective counsel that will be appearing in the petitions before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
“We are aware of the constraint of time that has been imposed on the court by both the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act for the hearing and determination of the petitions.
“We are also aware that we have almost gone halfway of the time we have for the hearing and determination of the petitions.”
Justice Garba said the cooperation of the lawyers and their clients were needed for the panel to make the best use of the time left.
Responding, the legal team of the PDP and Atiku led by Dr Livy Uzoukwu (SAN) assured the panel that his team would “give necessary cooperation to ensure that the petition is expeditiously heard.”
Lawyers representing the respondents – the Independent National Electoral Commission, Buhari and the APC – also gave similar assurance.
INEC’s legal team was led by Mr Yunus Usman (SAN), Buhari’s by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), while Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) represented the APC.
On Monday, the Coalition for Change and its presidential candidate, Geff Ojinika, withdrew their joint petition challenging the outcome of the February 23, 2019 presidential election.
Announcing the decision, Mr Obed Agu, told the panel he was instructed by his clients to withdraw the petition.
The respondents’ lawyers did not oppose the request for the withdrawal of the petition.
The petition was subsequently dismissed by the tribunal, leaving the five-man panel with only three pending petitions filed to challenge the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC at the poll.
The remaining petitions comprised the one jointly filed by the PDP and Atiku, the Hope Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Ambrose Owuru; and the Peoples Democratic Movement with its candidate, Pastor Aminchi Habu.
The tribunal also on Monday adjourned till Tuesday (today) the hearing of a total of 16 applications filed in respect of the petition of the PDP and Atiku alone.
The Justice Garba-led panel adjourned the applications for hearing after the various parties to the petition identified what they had filed before the tribunal.
Of the 16 applications, six of them were filed by the PDP and its candidate, while the rest of the 10 were filed by the respondents.
Of the respondents’ 10 applications, seven were filed by them seeking the dismissal or striking out of the petition while the three others were either seeking the amendment of their papers and the leave to bring their applications up at the tribunal’s pre-hearing session.
The tribunal also adjourned pending applications filed in respect of the petitions by the HDP and the PDM till June 13 and June 17, respectively.
The Punch
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has picked former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
Announcing the decision, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Amaechi’s emergence followed broad consultations within the party and reflected his strong performance as runner-up in the party’s presidential primaries as well as his track records of service to his state and the country.
According to the ADC, Amaechi’s extensive experience across both the legislative and executive arms of government, as former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor of Rivers State, and former Minister of Transportation, makes him uniquely qualified to complement Atiku’s leadership, strengthen the party’s national appeal, and bolster its campaign to offer Nigerians an experienced and credible alternative ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party said the choice of Amaechi underscores its commitment to presenting a leadership team with proven governance experience and national appeal as it prepares for the 2027 presidential contest.
ThisDay
