From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have supported the request by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for live broadcast of the proceedings of the presidential election petition court sitting in Abuja.

Counsel to Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Livy Uzuokwu, made this known, yesterday, while speaking with newsmen after the court adjourned pre-hearing session in their petition challenging the election of the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

Uzoukwu said it has become imperative to have the proceedings covered live so that Nigerians will have first hand information on what goes on at the court and will clear doubts in the minds of millions of Nigerians.

He said live broadcast of court proceedings was initiated by colonial masters but jettisoned when Nigeria got independence.

He said, with the realities on ground, live broadcast of court proceedings has become imperative and that Obi and the Labour Party are in total support of the request by Atiku and his party.

For instance, he said the court room cannot conveniently accommodate 200 people and the 200 people cannot adequately represent Nigerians, adding that if the proceedings are broadcast live, Nigerians will be better informed.

“During the hearing of the motion on notice by Atiku and the PDP, Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Obi will be fully in support,” the senior lawyer said.

Meanwhile, further pre-hearing session in the petition of LP and Obi has been shifted to May 17 by the presidential election petition court.

The pre-hearing session was shifted at the request of LP and its presidential candidate to enable them consolidate on processes so far filed and those yet to be filed.

Following the request of counsel to Obi to the effect, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, in a brief ruling, granted the application and fixed next Wednesday as the return date.

The one week adjournment of the petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023 was sequel to a unanimous resolution by counsel to both the petitioners and the respondents.

Nzoukwu had, at the commencement of proceedings, informed the tribunal about the agreement reached by both parties for a one week adjournment to enable them file and serve other processes relating to the petition.

The adjournment, according to Nzoukwu, was to further allow both parties to sort out both contentious and non-controversial documents that would be tendered during the hearing of the petition.

“My lords, since there are a number of processes that are yet to be filed and served on the respondents, it will be better, if this matter is adjourned to Wednesday to enable parties filed all processes and exchanged. When coming back, we will be sure the processes are ripe for hearing.

“We further agreed that before then, we will meet and take a position on documents that are in contention and those that are not, so that we don’t waste the time of court,” Nzoukwu said.

Responding, counsel to the respondents confirmed such an agreement as presented by the petitioner’s counsel.

Counsel to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud, who was the first to respond, said: “I confirmed the position of counsel to the petitioners and that is our position.”

Wole Olanikpekun, who leding the legal team of Bola Tinubu and Shettima, equally confirmed the development.

Lateef Fagbemi, APC counsel, simply said: “We are unanimous that this procedure be adopted by the court.”

In his short ruling, Tsammani granted the adjournment while expressing hope that if the procedure is followed, it will enhanced a speedy hearing of the petition.

He accordingly adjourned proceedings to May 17, 2023 for hearing. The Labour Party and its candidate had, on Tuesday March 21, filed a petition challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election.

Obi of the Labour Party came third in the election behind Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu of APC.

The petition, jointly filed by Obi and his party, has INEC, Tinubu, Shettima Kashim, and APC as the respondents.