EKO HOT BLOG reports that in response to the dismissal of a request to televise the daily proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, the legal team of Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed their views on the matter.
The tribunal is currently considering petitions aimed at overturning the outcome of the 2023 election, specifically challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu as the President-elect.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani and consisting of a five-member panel, rejected the applications filed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP), for live broadcasting of the proceedings.
The panel stated that the application lacked merit and that no existing regulatory framework or policy supported such a request. It further emphasized that the presence of cameras in the courtroom required legal backing as a major judicial policy.
According to the court, the request for live broadcast was not connected to the merit of the petitions and was based on a sentimental claim of public interest. The tribunal noted that the petitioners failed to demonstrate how televising the proceedings would benefit their case.
In response to the tribunal’s ruling, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), who stands as Atiku’s lawyer and the counsel representing the PDP, expressed that the decision was not a setback to their petition against Tinubu’s victory.
Jegede stated,
“There is no setback here. The court in its wisdom decided that the subject of our application on the live streaming and open telecast did not, in any way, connect with the merit of our petition.”
He further clarified that the petition would proceed as planned and that the application for live broadcast did not succeed. He expressed readiness for the upcoming pre-hearing report, which will determine the progress and timeline of the petition.
Addressing the issue of consolidating the three petitions against Tinubu, Jegede mentioned that the application for consolidation was compelled by statute and that they had no objection to it.
With the dismissal of the request for live broadcast, the proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal will not be televised.
However, the legal battle over the 2023 election outcome will continue, with the petitioners determined to present their case before the tribunal and seek a favorable judgment.
Click to watch our video of the week
President Tinubu will attend John Mahama's inauguration in Ghana on January 7, 2025. Mahama, reelected…
A petrol tanker explosion in Agbor killed five people on Sunday. Two banks and properties…
Governor Aiyedatiwa declares three-day mourning period for late SSG, Hon. Tayo Oluwatuyi. Leaders praised Oluwatuyi's…