Labour Party, Obi unable to continue case at Presidential Tribunal
The Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, failed to continue their case on Wednesday before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The Tribunal had fixed further hearings in their petition for 9 am on Wednesday for them to continue the presentation of their case by calling more witnesses and tendering documents, for which it allocated four hours to them.
At the mention of the case on Wednesday, a lawyer to the petitioners, Awa Kalu (SAN) told the court that they had planned to start with the tendering of documents, but were constrained by some challenges at their secretariat.
Kalu said two key staff in the petitioners’ secretariat took ill, which made it impossible for them to proceed with the business of the day.
He sought an adjustment till Thursday.
Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) for Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettma, and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) for the All Progressives Congress did not object to Kalu’s request for adjournment.
Mahmoud however urged the court to record the day against the petitioners and deduct it from the number of days earlier allocated to them to present their case.
Ruling, the Presiding Justice, Justice Haruna Tsammani granted Kalu’s request for adjournment and adjourned till 9 am on Thursday.
The petitioners also had a disappointing outing on Wednesday when they could only utilise a fraction of the three hours allocated to them.
They could only call a witness and tendered two sets of documents.
The court plans to resume sitting at 2pm for further hearing in the petition by the People’s Democratic Party and Atiku Abubakar.
