Presidential Election Petitions Court Criticizes Labour Party’s Lack of Preparation in Challenging President Tinubu’s Victory…
In a recent development, the Presidential Election Petitions Court has voiced its dissatisfaction with the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over their lack of preparedness in the ongoing petition contesting the victory of President Bola Tinubu. The court session on Thursday witnessed a disorganized display from the petitioners’ legal team, leading to a temporary adjournment of the hearing.
During the proceedings, Emeka Okpoko, a senior lawyer representing the petitioners, attempted to submit electoral documents as exhibits. However, it was discovered that these documents had not been appropriately filed and scheduled before the court. In response, the court halted the hearing for 10 minutes, urging the legal team to rectify the filing errors in accordance with the pre-hearing report.
Upon reconvening, the petitioners’ legal team remained uncoordinated, disappointing the panel of five Justices led by Haruna Tsammani. The panel advised the petitioners to request an adjournment to properly organize their documents, expressing their dissatisfaction with the wasted time caused by the counsels’ lack of preparation. The justices emphasized that the enormity of the task had been underestimated.
In a somewhat defiant response, Awa Kalu, another senior lawyer from the petitioners’ team, stated that they would not be seeking the adjournment suggested by the court. Instead, they planned to present evidence from 16 Local Government Areas, with six states already being tendered by the Labour Party.
The court has subsequently adjourned the case to June 2 for the continuation of the hearing, anticipating a more coherent presentation from the petitioners’ legal team.
