3-man Election Tribunal hears Atiku’s petition against INEC

The petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is currently being heard by a three-man panel of Justices of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja.

PDP and Atiku had in their petition asked the tribunal to order INEC to surrender all the materials that were used for the February 23 presidential election for inspection.

The petitioners in an ex-parte motion dated March 4 and marked CA/A/P/EPT/1/2019, prayed for leave of the tribunal to allow them inspect the Voters Register, the Smart Card Reader Machines, Ballot Papers and other vital documents used in the conduct of the presidential election.

Equally, they asked that INEC be compelled by the Tribunal to allow their agents scan and make photocopies of vital documents used in the conduct of the election, for the purpose of establishing alleged irregularities.

According to their counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), the reliefs which the petitioners’ sought against INEC was for the purpose of filing an election petition they intend to level against the outcome of the 2019 presidential election.

The proceeding of the matter on Wednesday is being conducted by the panel headed by Justice Abdul Aboki at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.

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Two other members of the panel hearing the matter are justices Emmanuel Agim, and Peter Ige.

As at the time this report was filed, Atiku’s lawyer was addressing the tribunal on the legal propriety of allowing him to scan some of the documents he is requesting for, instead of securing a Certified True Copy of same documents from the INEC.

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