The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja has announced plans to merge three separate petitions that aim to nullify the results of the 2023 presidential election. According to the court, Paragraph 50 of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act empowers them to sign the petitions and decide on them collectively. Lead counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, supported the decision, noting that the provision was mandatory. He further explained that two or more petitions filed against the same election or return must be consolidated, except the court decides otherwise.
However, Chris Uche, SAN, the lead counsel to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, requested more time to consult with his client, saying, “We, therefore, ask for a stand down or an adjournment so that we can explore the modalities since this is like a marriage which is a union between two consenting adults.” Similarly, a counsel who appeared for the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima, Roland Otaru, SAN, said that he would need time to consult with the lead counsel for the President-elect, Wole Olanipekun, SAN.
The case, which is before a five-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, was adjourned until Monday for all the parties to report the outcome of their consultations on the issue of the merger of all the petitions.
This development follows recent anxiety regarding another report by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tinubu and the alleged illegal operation of Alpha Beta Consult, a company linked to him in Lagos. This matter is also a subject of petition in various courts for investigation.
