The legal fireworks over the February 25 presidential election might have reached its crescendo as the tribunal has settled for Tuesday, August 1, to adopt the final written address of all parties in support or defence of their petitions.
It is also expected of the tribunal to reserve judgment in the petitions challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu as winner of the election same Tuesday.
By law, the tribunal has 180 days within which to hear and deliver its judgment in a presidential election dispute; and the tribunal’s days started running since March 22, when the petitioners filed their respective cases at the tribunal.
Also, from Tuesday August 1, when parties were to adopt their final written addresses, the tribunal would have less than 55 days to deliver judgment in favour or against the petition to prevent the case from becoming statute barred (a situation where the judgment is no longer enforceable).
A five-member panel of justices of the PREPEC, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, had on July 5, announced that the date for the final adoption of arguments would be communicated to parties.
He made the announcement shortly after President Tinubu, Vice President, Kashim Shettima and the All Progressives Congress (APC), surprisingly closed their case in the two petitions filed by Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A day before, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had closed its case just after calling only one witness, who amongst others informed the court that a technical glitch occurred during the presidential election.
INEC, Tinubu and the APC had at the pre-hearing session stated they would be calling several witnesses to defend the results of the presidential poll, but when it was their turn to defend the election, while INEC and Tinubu called one witness each, the APC rather chose to adopt the witness brought by Tinubu and Shettima.
Following the closure of their defence on July 5, the PREPEC in accordance with the electoral law ordered the respondents to file their written addresses within 10 days, while the petitioners have seven days to respond. The respondents however have another five days to respond to the petitioners only on point of law, if need be.
Information from the tribunal over the weekend, stated that Tuesday August 1, has been fixed for parties to adopt their final written addresses for and against the two petitions pending before the PREPEC.
While Atiku and Obi alongside their respective political parties, would have the last chance to convince the five-member panel that the election that produced Tinubu was marred by irregularities, corrupt practices and substantial non-compliance with the electoral laws and as such must be nullified and declare them winner, INEC, Tinubu and the APC on the other hand also would have the last opportunity to establish that the election, was free, fair, credible and in addition that Tinubu was eminently qualified to have contested.
Alex Enumah
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