The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) has reserved rulings in applications by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking the dismissal of the petition by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
After taking arguments from lawyers to the parties, the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member Tribunal on Friday announced that the rulings have been reserved to be delivered on the day of judgment in the main petition.
Lawyers who moved the applications for INEC, Tinubu and APC, Kemi Pinheiro, Yusuf Ali and Lateef Fagbemi (all Senior Advocates of Nigeria) prayed the court to grant the reliefs in their applications, seven in all.
Lawyer to the petitioners, Chris Uche (SAN) in counter argument urged the court to dismiss all the applications and proceed to hear his clients’ on the merit.
The court has adjourned further pre-hearing session in the petition till Saturday for the parties to agree on the schedule to be adopted for the hearing of the petition.
The INEC, Tinubu and the APC had kicked against the request of former Vice President, Atiku for live telecast of his petition challenging the declaration of the President-elect as winner of the 2023 presidential election.
In their separate objections at the Tribunal on Wednesday, the trio insisted granting the request would jeopardise the solemnity of the court.
Tinubu in vehement objections raised on his behalf by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) said Atiku’s request was not only surprising but also dangerous as it could prejudice the court.
Olanipekun said Atiku should not be allowed to turn the court to a football stadium or crusade, theatre or film grounds where all manner of telecasts are permitted.
He said the court should not grant an order that cannot be enforced or supervised. He warned that the request, if granted, could expose judicial officers to avoidable dangers, and demanded that heavy cost be imposed on Atiku for making the request.
Fagbemi who opposed on behalf of the APC said facilities and policy documents were not available for the application to be granted.
He said Atiku had failed to disclose injuries he would suffer if the request was not granted.
The electoral body in objection by its counsel, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud (SAN) said the court is for serious business and not a marketplace where anything goes.
He had also maintained that the request was unnecessary and uncalled for and should not be granted.
