Presidential Election Tribunal begins hearing May 8
The Presidential Election Petitions Court has fixed Monday, May 8, for the hearing of the petitions challenging the victory of President-elect Bola Tinubu.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer the winner on March 1.
Monday’s proceedings will be a pre-hearing session, meaning it would clarify if there are additional applications before the main hearing.
The tribunal, sitting at the Court of Appeal, is expected to provide a full timetable for the hearing of the substantive matters which Nigerians have been waiting for.
Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and others want Tinubu’s victory upturned.
Atiku, who based his seven prayers on five grounds, is seeking the conduct of a fresh election due to alleged irregularities at polling units on February 25.
He and the PDP said Tinubu was declared the winner when all results and accreditation data from polling units had not been transmitted and uploaded by INEC.
Obi also alleges various irregularities, insisting Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, were not qualified to contest.
The LP flagbearer insists the President-elect did not win the majority of lawful votes and failed to garner one-quarter of votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
