Tribunal adjourns APM’s petition against Tinubu till Wednesday

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) has once more adjourned the petition filed before it by the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) till Wednesday, June 21, 2023 for hearing.

The Tribunal on Monday adjourned the petition of the APM challenging the victory of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu (BAT) during the 2023 presidential election of February 25.

The court had previously fixed June 19 to commence hearing of the petition filed by the APM challenging both Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

At the resumed hearing on Monday, the party asked for a one-week adjournment which was turned down by the court.

The party had initially tendered an application to the Tribunal for a date to commence hearing of its petition against the results of the presidential election which had earlier been delayed over their inability to obtain a Supreme Court judgement.

The ruling of the apex court being sought is the recent judgment which dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) suit seeking to nullify President Tinubu’s election based on allegations of double nomination against his running mate, now Vice-President Shettima.

The party claims the ruling is necessary for them to make progress in their case because it had far-reaching pronouncements which are relevant to certain core issues of dispute in its case.

Lawyers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC and President Tinubu raised no objection to the request for adjournment as they prayed the court to adjourn the hearing of the petition till June 20.

The presiding judge, Haruna Tsammani, after listening to both sides, granted the application and adjourned the case till Wednesday June 21 for commencement of hearing.

Recall that the court had also adjourned hearing of the APM’s petition against Tinubu on June 2.

At resumed sitting on that day, counsel for the petitioner, Yakubu Maikasuwa (SAN) informed the court that though the last adjournment was to enable parties obtain a copy of the Supreme Court judgment that had delivered on similar matter as the petition but the parties were yet to access the Supreme court judgment.

The lawyer therefore prayed the court for an adjournment to Friday June 9 to enable parties access the judgment and take appropriate decision before it was then adjourned till June 19.

Kemi Pinhero, Lateef Fagbemi and Akin Olujimi counsel to the 1st to 5th respondents in the petition, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) did not oppose the application.