February 25: Tinubu, Shettima Oppose Live Coverage Of Tribunal Proceedings

The President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, have asked the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, to dismiss the application filed by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a live broadcast of the court proceedings.

According to them, the relief sought by the applicants was not such that the court could grant.

“With much respect to the petitioners, the motion is an abuse of the processes of this honourable court,” the respondents stated.

Besides describing the application as frivolous, they said the court is not a soapbox, stadium or theatre where the public should be entertained.

Tinubu and Shettima, through their team of lawyers, wondered why a petitioner would file an application to distract the court and waste its precious time.

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They stated in their counter affidavit, that the application relates to policy formulation of the court, which is outside the PEPC’s jurisdiction as constituted.

“The application also touches on the powers and jurisdiction invested in the President of the Court of Appeal by the Constitution, over which this honourable court as presently constituted cannot entertain.

“The application touches on the administrative functions, which are exclusively reserved for the President of the Court of Appeal.

“The application is aimed at dissipating the precious judicial time of this honourable court.

“The said application does not have any bearing with the petition filed by the petitioners before this honourable court.

“It is in the interest of justice for this honourable court to dismiss the said application filed by the petitioners,” they said.

In an attached written address, the respondents faulted the applicants’ reference to the fact that virtual proceedings were allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.