The Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have filed a motion for an order allowing the live coverage of the Presidential Election Petition Court proceedings.
The motion, filed through Atiku’s team of lawyers led by Chris Uche (SAN), is specifically seeking “an order, directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the courtroom.”
Atiku and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, are challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, as the winner of the February 25 presidential poll.
The PEPC will commence a pre-hearing session on all petitions brought before it at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Atiku contends that the petition lodged against the President-elect is “a matter of national concern and public interest.”
He argued that the case involves citizens and the electorate in the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, who voted and participated in the presidential poll.
Atiku drew the court’s attention to the fact that the international community is equally interested in issues about Nigeria’s electoral process.
The motion insists that the case against Tinubu is a unique electoral dispute with a peculiar constitutional dimension, and that millions of Nigerian citizens and voters are stakeholders with the constitutional right to be part of the proceedings.
The petitioners stated that the “televising court proceedings is not alien to this Honourable Court and will enhance public confidence.”
Atiku had applied for the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return issued to Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission and maintained that the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election was “invalid because of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.”
He also argued that Tinubu’s election was invalid because of corrupt practices.
Atiku has prayed the court to declare him the winner of the presidential election, having secured the second-highest number of lawful votes cast at the election.
