Presidential Polls: Anxiety Ahead Of Tribunal Judgement Tomorrow

Anxiety, suspense and palpable tension are the best terms to sum up the mood in Nigeria as the citizens await the crucial judgement on the petitions challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu billed to be delivered by the Presidential Election Petitions Court tomorrow.

Umar Mohammed Bangari, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, which is hosting election petitions tribunal, confirmed September 6, 2023, as the date to deliver judgment on the presidential poll.

The tribunal merged the petitions submitted by the various political parties while giving the pre-hearing report on the petitions and presenting the trial schedule.

It also reserved judgment on the petitions filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party in order to deliver the judgements on the same day as that of Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

The court in a statement said, “The Court of Appeal wishes to inform the General Public that judgment in the following petitions before the Presidential Election Petition Court will be delivered on Wednesday 6th September 2023: CA/PEPC/03/2023 between Mr. Peter Gregory Obi & Anor VS. Independent National Electoral Commission & 3 Ors. CA/PEPC/04/2023 between Allied Peoples Movement VS. Independent National Electoral Commission & 4 Ors.

“CA/PEPC/05/2023 between Abubakar Atiku & Anor VS. Independent National Electoral Commission & 2 Ors. In a bid to promote transparency and openness, these judgments will be televised live by interested Television Stations for the public to follow.”

The Chief Registrar however said, “Access to the Court premises will be strictly on accreditation. Only accredited individuals, including Counsel and representatives of Political Parties, will be granted access to the courtroom. Interested members of the public are advised to watch proceedings from their television sets. We appeal for the maximum cooperation of the general public to ensure a hitch-free exercise, please”.

As Nigerians hold their breath, the country’s political landscape is enveloped in uncertainty, with mixed commentaries pervading the social media.

Reacting development, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former governorship aspirant, Segun Showunmi, told LEADERSHIP yesterday that while there has been so much pre-judgement commentaries, Nigerians should be patient ahead of the Tribunal’s judgement.

Showunmi said, “The narrative pre-judgment has been out there. We must patiently await the judgment now and we take it on right after.”

On its part, the Labour Party said yesterday that it is confident the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal  judgement will be in the favour of its presidential candidate Peter Obi.

National publicity secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, said the mandate freely expressed on February 25 will be returned to the rightful winner of the election.

He added that most Nigerians have waited for a long time and their wishes will be granted.

Ifoh said, “We are positive that the judgement will favour the Labour Party and our presidential candidate, Peter Obi. We are also positive that the will of the people will prevail. Most Nigerians have waited this long and their wishes will be granted.

“The mandate freely expressed on February 25 will be returned to the rightful winner of the election”.

Tinubu Not Worried, He won The Election, Says Presidency

However, in anticipation of the impending judgment from the Presidential Election Petition Court scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday), the presidency has said President Tinubu maintains unwavering confidence in the judicial process and refrains from threatening judges.

Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, conveyed the message during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme yesterday.

“He (Tinubu) is not worried simply because he knows he won the election,” Ngelale stated.

The presidency expressed belief that the judiciary is best suited to render impartial decisions based on the merits of the case at hand.

Ngelale said, “The President sees no need to threaten judicial officers. He sees no need to raise speculations against the integrity of judicial officers; he believes in the sanctity and integrity of the Nigerian judicial system, he believes the great men and women on the panel will make their decisions based only on the facts before them.”

He said President Tinubu will continue to ensure that no matter what the outcome of the judgment is, he does his part and ensure that the institutions continue to be respected, not just by him, but by all actors.