The discrepancies noticed in the schedule of documents to be tendered, which was filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate in the February 25 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, stalled proceedings, on Tuesday, in their petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
At the commencement of proceedings, the petitioners’ lawyer, Eyitayo Jegede SAN told the court that the petitioners have filed a third schedule of documents, detailing the exhibits they planned to tender for the day.
Jegede indicated his intention to start by tendering INEC-certified copies of Forms EC8B for 10 Local Government Areas in Kogi State.
While Jegede was at it, the court’s Presiding Justice (PJ), Justice Haruna Tsammani noted that the schedule was not explicit enough and was confusing.
Justice Tsammani said petitioners had on previous occasions, filed explicit schedules, which informed why the court commended them.
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“We had commended you before now and even asked others to learn from you. This schedule that you have filed now is not good enough. It is confusing. Maybe we should withdraw our earlier commendation,” the judge said.
Another member of the panel, Justices Stephen Adah also noticed some inadequacies in the schedule.
Lawyers to respondents to the petition – Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) for INEC, Dele Adesina (SAN) for President Bola Tinubu and Mrs. Olabisi Shoyebo (SAN) – also raised similar observations.
Mahmoud, Adesina and Shoyebo observed that the latest format of the petitioners’ schedule was confusing.
Responding, Jegede blamed the variation in the format of the schedule on the earlier observation raised by the court.
Jegede said the decision to file the schedule in a new format was informed by the court’s past observation and directive that the petitioners should file a single schedule.
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He said the petitioners were limited because of INEC’s delay in releasing the documents they applied for.
Jegede said his clients have paid about N6 million so far in cost to INEC for the various documents they requested to prosecute the petition.
While he was still explaining, Justice Tsammani suggested that proceedings be halted briefly to enable the petitioners to address the issues raised.
But, instead, Jegede applied for an adjournment till the next day to enable the petitioners put their house in order.
Lawyers to the respondents did not object to Jegede’s application for adjournment, following which the court adjourned till Wednesday at 9 am.
The day’s proceedings planned to last four hours, ended in less than an hour.