The presidential election petitions tribunal has granted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, the leave to serve President Muhammadu Buhari with copies of the petition challenging the February 23 elections through substituted means.
The leave was granted by a three-man panel led by Abdul Aboki following an ex parte motion asking the court for leave of substituted service on Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) by Chris Uche, counsel to Atiku.
Uche said all efforts to serve the APC did not yield fruit but they were able to serve the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Atiku and his party are challenging the victory of Buhari in the presidential election. They are alleging that there was massive rigging and non-compliance with the electoral laws.
Atiku had filed a petition before the tribunal praying that the court should declare him winner of the February 23 presidential election. He also asked the tribunal in the alternative to nullify the poll and order a fresh election.
…2 Kwara SANs, Adelodun, Isau, 30 others, I make PDP presidential candidate legal team
By Kayode Adeoti
Two Ilorin-based Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Adelodun Adebayo and Saka Isau were among the 32 legal counsels recently inaugurated by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abubakar Atiku to challenge the outcome of the presidential election at the tribunal.
The team is headed by Livy Uzoukwu, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Recall that Atiku Abubakar rejected the outcome of the election after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared President Muhammadu Buhari the winner. He accused the presidency of using the military to intimidate voters and suppressing PDP strongholds. He also alleged the connivance of INEC officials, security agents and the ruling party to manufacture bogus figures and falsify the returns from the polling units.
Recently, the PDP candidate met with members of the National Peace Committee prompting reports he may have been prevailed upon not to proceed with the challenge.
“I have just inaugurated my legal team and charged them with the responsibility of ensuring that our stolen mandate is retrieved,” Atiku said, according to his spokesperson, Paul Ibe.
“I am encouraged by the presence of fearless men and women of the Bench. The judiciary which had in the past discharged itself ably is once again being called upon to deliver judgement on this matter that will be untainted by lucre and uncowed by the threat of immoral power,” he added.
Atiku said sooner “these noble dispensers of justice will give a judgement that will represent a historic denunciation of electoral fraud and mandate bandit,” he said, while adding that he will not mortgage the people’s mandate’
Aside Adelodun and Isau, other members of Atiku’s legal team are; Kabiru T. Turaki, Chief Chris Uche, Pius A. Akubo, Isiyaku Ibrahim, Paul Erokoro, K. C. O. Njemanze, Eyitayo Jegede, Dr. Mike Ozehome, Sebastine T. Hon, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, Prof. Maxwel Gidado, Emeka Etiaba, Gordy Uche, Dr. Mrs. V. J. O. Azinge, SAN, Emeka Okpoko, Olalekan Ojo, Dr. Jennifer Abubakar, Ebenezer Obeya Esq. Prof. Yusuf Dankofa, Prof. Lanre Adeojo, Peter Afuba Esq. Alexander EjesiemebEsq, Abdulazez Ibrahim Esq., Chike OkaforEsq. Shikammah K. Sheltu Esq., Silas Joseph Onu Esq.,] Jude Daniel Odi Esq., Mohammed Malabu Esq.,Comrade Frank Enakemu Adogbeji.
…3 other presidential flagbearers join Atiku in challenging Buhari’s victory
Three more presidential candidates have separately approached the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, demanding that it voids the result of the February 23 presidential election.
The battle for who emerges the nation’s President in the next four years was majorly between the President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
PDP and Atiku have already filed their petition before the Presidential Election Tribunal.
However, in their various petitions, the three presidential candidates, of the Hope Democratic Party, HDP, Chief Ambrose Owuru; Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, Aminchi Habu and Coalition for Change, C4C, Geff Chizee Ojinka, urged the tribunal to invoke its powers and quash the declaration of President Buhari as the bonafide winner of the 2019 presidential election.
In their separate petitions, they alleged that the election was characterised by manifest irregularities, adding that the Electoral Act was not substantially complied with by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
HDP’s Chief Ambrose Owuru, whose petition marked as CA/ PEPC/001/2019, cited the APC and the INEC as Respondents.
Owuru’s total votes in the presidential election was 1,663.
Also, PDM’s Habu, in another petition registered as CA/PEPC/004/2019, equally challenged the outcome of the presidential poll.
Similarly, in its own petition marked CA/PEPC/003/2019, C4C and its presidential candidate, Ojinka, also urged the tribunal to nullify President Buhari’s election.
The C4C garnered a total of 2,391 votes at the presidential poll and cited the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as the 2nd Respondent in its case.
“Petitioners contend that the above election was vitiated by substantial non compliance with mandatory statutory provisions, which irregularity substantially affected the election such that the 1st Respondent was not entitled to be returned as the Winner of the Presidential election,” the C4C party added.
The Justice Abdul Aboki led tribunal had on Wednesday, ordered that President Buhari should be served with a copy of the the petition marked as CA/ PEPC/002/2019, which was filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar. The tribunal directed that Buhari should be served with all the legal processes, through any senior officer at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
