The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), which would decide on all petitions filed against the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners of the contested 2023 Presidential election, will now be officially introduced by Justice Monica Bolnaan Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal.
On Monday, May 8, 2023, the panel members will be publicly introduced at the Court of Appeal Headquarters in Abuja.
Since the results of the presidential election were made public, Justice Dongban-Mensem withheld the identities of the tribunal members in order to prevent undue influence on them.
The Action Alliance (AA) and Solomon David Okanigbuan, who was the AA’s presidential candidate in the election, informed the tribunal that they intended to withdraw their suit challenging the proclamation of Tinubu as Nigeria’s next president just before the tribunal’s announcement.
During the first meeting at the Court of Appeal Headquarters in Abuja on May 8, the petition’s notice of withdrawal would be presented to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
According to a move on notice for the withdrawal of the petition with the file number CA/PEPC/01/2023, which the DAILY POST was able to obtain, it was intended to be the tribunal’s first assignment.
In addition to Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Hamza Al Mustapha are cited as respondents in AA’s appeal.
However, further petitions from the Action People’s Party (APP) with the filing number CA/PEPC/02/2023 and respondents Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are also scheduled for the pre-hearing session.
After that, there would be a hearing for Peter Gregory Obi and the Labour Party (LP), with the case number CA/PEPC/03/2023 and the respondents INEC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Kashim Shetima, and APC.
According to a Cause List for the tribunal’s May 8th hearing that was seen by DAILY POST, the Allied People’s Movement (APM) would continue with its CA/PEPC/04/2023 lawsuit against Tinubu.
INEC, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kashim Shetima, and one Kabir Masari are the defendants in APM’s petition.
The petition filed by Tinubu Bola Ahmed, the APC, and Abubakar Atiku and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), with the file number CA/ PEPC/05/2023, would be handled last.
The Main Court Hall of the Court of Appeal, which will be utilized by the tribunal, has been locked up as part of security precautions, and security personnel have been stationed on the property to prevent potential security breaches during the hearings, according to our correspondent.
Additionally, it was discovered that hearing notices for all parties in the five petitions had been delivered through the chambers of their respective attorneys.
