Di Presidential Election Petition court wey dey sit for Abuja don reserve judgement for di petitions wey Peoples Democratic Party, PDP bring against President Bola Tinubu.
Di five -man panel of judges reserve judgement afta dem adopt di written addresses on preliminary objections and final written addresses of di petitioners and respondents on Tuesday 1 August 2023.
Chairman of di Presidential Election Petition Court, Justice Haruna Tsamani say “Judgement dey reserved to a date wey we go communicate to una”.
Atiku Abubakar dey challenge di declaration of Bola Tinubu by di Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as winner of di 25 February presidential election.
Adoption of preliminary objections
Di adoption of di preliminary objections and process start wit di first respondent wey be di Independent National Electoral Commission, Inec.
Counsel to Inec, Abubakar Mahmood, SAN during di presentation of im preliminary objections and final written address “pray di court to uphold di objections wey dem raise for dia written addresses”.
Second respondent Bola Tinubu through im lead counsel Wole Olanipekun SAN pray di court to “uphold all preliminary objections, and remove all documents and exhibits wey dey for di records of di court wey dem object to”.
Third respondent, di All Progressives Congress thru dia lead counsel Lateef Fagbemi SAN tell court to “uphold di objections, remove from di record and discountenance di affected documents.”
Lead counsel to Atiku Abubakar, Chris Uche SAN pray di court to “overrule and dismiss di objections of di exhibits wey court don already admit sake of say e lack merit, and make court uphold di exhibits already admitted as evidence and use am to determine di petition.”
Adoption of written addresses
Di five-member panel give di petitioners and respondents 20 minutes each to present dia written addresses.
Lead counsel to Inec, Abubakar Mahmood say di major part of di petition na non-compliance of di regulations and guidelines of di Electoral Act, 2022.
For im argument, im tok say di use of technology na major reform of di Electoral Act and all of dem agree on dis point.
Im explain say di use of technology bring about di introduction of di Bimordal Verification and Accreditation Systems, BVAS.
E also cover di application (how to use) Bvas wey include accreditation, authentication and transmission of results to Irev from di polling units and di good intentions of Inec to make election credible, free and fair.
Wia di disagreement dey na di collation and transmission of results.
Abubakar Mahmood highlight di following:
- No electronic collation system dey in place.
- Dem no disagree say glitch bin dey on election day but disagree on wetin cause di glitch and di consequence. “A glitch disrupt real time upload for four hours 30 minutes.”
- Petitioners fail to establish human interference.
- Collation of results na still manual.
- Dem don explain di glitch beyond doubt say e no affect di outcome of di election.
- Electoral Act no change manual collation.
- FCT mata of 25 percent dey illogical and e dey contrary to di provisions of di court and section 299 of di constitution.
- For di purpose of section 134 make dem treat FCT as di 37th state.
Meanwhile, lead counsel to President Bola Tinubu, Wole Olanipekun, SAN tell court say Irev no get any role for di collation of results, and collation na physical and manual.
Im also highlight sometins say FCT na di 37th state for di purposes of Presidential election for Nigeria. Dem win one-third of di two-third votes for Abuja and say na of public interest if di court no overturn di decision of di electorate (pipo)
