The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja has refused a request brought before it by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his party seeking live broadcast of proceedings of their petition against the declaration of Bola Tinubu as winner of the February 25 presidential election.
The Court held that the request was a novel and not supported with any law in the country for now.
Justice Haruna Tsammani who delivered the unanimous decision of the five-member panel of Justices of the court said the request was not rooted from the petition Atiku filed before the Court.
Justice Tsammani also said that the request was capable of turning the Court to Stadium or market square and that such must not be allowed for now.
The court held that the issue of televising of proceedings requires a judicial policy and that the practice directives for the conduct of the proceedings in the petition by the President of the Court of Appeal did not include granting televising of proceedings in election petition.
Besides, Justice Tsammani held that granting live broadcast of the proceedings of the petition would not add any value to the petition and dismissed the application for lacking in merit.
Atiku had approached the Court hearing his case against the outcome of the February 25 presidential polls, for an order allowing live broadcast of the day to day proceedings regarding his petition because of its monumental importance.
Atiku and the PDP in the application specifically prayed the tribunal for “An order Directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the courtroom.”
In another development, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and his party have kicked against consolidation of the petions against his victory at the February 25 polls.
While the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) represented by its counsel, Suleiman Abubakar said, the party bis not opposing the consolidation of the petitions, counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kemi Pinhero (SAN) said the electoral umpire is indifferent and will abide with the discretion of the court on the issue.
Abubakar informed the court that the APM will be calling one witness to prove its case against the election of Bola Tinubu as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The court will on Tuesday present report on pre-hearing session in the petition.
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