Obi in court as tribunal adjourns till May 10 for hearing

.Court dismiss AA petition

Chigozie Ikpo, Abuja

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi was present in court as the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) began its sitting in Abuja Monday with a pre-hearing session.
The court is to determine five electoral petitions pending before it.
In Monday’s proceedings, a five-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani dismissed the petition filled by the Action Alliance (AA) party after the party’s legal counsel, Oba Maduabuchi (SAN) filed an application to withdraw the suit.
The AA, in its petition asked the court to void the February 25 Presidential Election on the ground that its presidential candidate, Solomon Okanigbuan, was excluded from participating in the election.
Listed as respondents to the petition marked CA/PEPC/01/2023 filed by the AA, are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Hamza Al-Mustapha.
There was mild drama in the court as another lawyer, Malachi Umuebe, announced his appearance as the legal counsel for AA and said he has a petition before the court seeking the withdrawal of the party’s name from the suit.
Maduabuchi told the court that he filed the motion himself and does not know the other lawyer.
The court canceled Umuebe’s appearance as the petition he was applying on was same petition that is to be withdrawn.
Justice Tsammani granted the application for withdrawal as Counsel to Tinubu, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Counsel to APC, N.O. Fagbemi and Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, representing the INEC, did not raise any objection
In the suit filed by the All Peoples Party, (APP), the court adjourned to May 10 for hearing parties identified their processes.
In the same vein, the court adjourned till 2pm on May 10, the suit filed by Peter Obi and the LP, against Tinubu, Shetimma, APC and INEC, after the parties identified their processes.
Justice Tsammani while adjourning for hearing said counsels should meet and agree on documents they will object and the ones they will not object to.
The other remaining petitions were listed for the pre-hearing session tomorrow, May 9, 2023.
The five-member panel for the hearing includes; Justice Haruna Tsammani of the Abuja Division, Justice Stephen Adah of the Asaba Division, Justice Monsurat Bolaji Yusuf of the Asaba Division, Justice Moses Ugo of the Kano Division, and Justice Abba Mohammed of the Kano Division.
In court for Monday’s sitting was former Governor of Anambra state, Mr. Peter Obi, Governor of Plateau state, Mr. Simon Lalong, Senator-elect for Anambra Central, Chief Victor Umeh and other notable dignitaries.