PEPT Live Updates: Tinubu, Obi Absent in Court, Heavy Security Presence in Abuja

PEPT Live Updates: As the Court of Appeal sits today, Wednesday September 6, 2023 with Nigerians under tension, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party are absent at the court, ENigeria Newspaper reports.

While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday departed for New Delhi, India on a six-day official visit, during which he would be attending the G-20 summit, Peter Obi on his part was also absent. Although not official reason was given for his absence by any member of his team, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) was however ably represented by the chairman of the LP, Julius Abure who announced that he was standing in for the petitioner, Peter Obi – this was when at 9:34 am the Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Haruna Tsammani asked for the introduction of petitioners and responders.

The court room which was already filled to the brim also had Vice President Vice-President, Kashim Shettima who introduced himself as the first responder, alongside the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje.

ENigeria Newspaper correspondent who is on the ground in Abuja and filing the PEPT Live Updates noted that across the city, a heavy presence of all security agencies was noticed, including at the premises of the Court of Appeal. As judgment is expected to be delivered by the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Haruna Tsammani, assisted by other members of the panel: Justices Stephen Adah, Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf, Moses Ugo, and Abba Mohammed.

The petitions, marked: CA/PEPC/03/2023, CA/PEPC/05/2023 and CA/PEPC/04/2023, were lodged before the court by the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi; a former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; as well as the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, respectively.

PEPT Live Updates: Tinubu Represented by top echelons of the APC at the Tribunal Today…

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on March 1, announced that Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress won the presidential election held on February 25, ahead of 17 other candidates that participated in the contest.

It declared that Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat the two major contenders, Alhaji Atiku of the PDP, who came second with a total of 6,984,520 votes, and Mr. Obi of the LP, who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, both Atiku and Obi approached the court to have it invalidated.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, Nasarawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule, Yobe state governor, Mai Mala Buni, Ekiti state governor, Biodun Oyebanji and the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje are among those that have arrived the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Others present are the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Imo state governor, Hope Uzodima; his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, and the Labour Party chairman, Julius Abure among others.

The tribunal is expected to deliver judgment on the election petitions challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu by the presidential candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.