Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
- Author, Tamara Ebiwei
- Role, BBC News Pidgin
- Reporting from Abuja
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Tight security dey for Abuja, Nigeria capital and around di court of appeal wia di eyes of all Nigerians, Africans and di world dey as di presidential election tribunal go give judgement today, on di petitions of di presidential candidates of di Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP and Allied Peoples against di 2023 elections.
Afta months of chooking eye inside di mata, di presidential election petition court say judgement don ready and na on Wednesday dem go give judgement.
Chief Registrar of di Court of Appeal, Umar Bangari for statement on 4 September 2023 bin say:
“Di Court of Appeal dey inform di general public say court go give judgement for di following petitions before di Presidential Election Petition Court on Wednesday 6 September, 2023.
Di petitions na between Peter Gregory Obi and Anor VS Independent National Electoral Commission and three odas.
Di second petition na between Allied Peoples Movement, VS Independent National Electoral Commission and four odas.
Di third na between Atiku Abubakar and Anor VS Independent National Electoral Commission and two odas.”
Di Chief Registrar also add say court premises go dey restricted and only pipo wey get accreditation go fit enta court room.
Dem go also show di judgement live for National Television stations for di public to see as e dey go.
Meanwhile, Force Headquarters tok-tok pesin Olumuyiwa Adejobi for statement say di police don tighten security across all parts of di kontri sake of di judgement.
Wetin di petitioners dey challenge
Dis petitions dey challenge di declaration of President Bola Tinubu as winner of di 25 February presidential election wey happun across di kontri by di Independent National Electoral Commission, Inec.
Dem allege say Inec no comply wit di Electoral Act.
Di petitioners dey also allege say mago-mago dey for di election.
Dem dey also argue say di issue of electronic transmission of results.
Federal Capital Territory, FCT 25 percent votes wey winner suppose get.
Di double nomination of Vice President Kashim Shettima. Plus oda issues di petitioners also raise.
Wetin don happun so far?
Di Court of Appeal Abuja on 1 August, 2023 bin reserve judgement for di petitions wey di petitioners carry come.
Di five – man panel of judges reserve judgement afta dem adopt di written addresses on preliminary objections and final written addresses of di petitioners and respondents.
Chairman of di Presidential Election Petition Court, Justice Haruna Tsamani bin say:
“Judgement dey reserved to a date wey we go communicate to una”
For di final written addresses wey dem present, APC lead counsel Lateef Fagbemi highlight di following:
No point wey dem dey agitate for inside di petition wey neva receive judicial pronouncement and adjudication.
Im say di first case of double nomination Supreme Court don address dat one.
Di second issue of Irev for uploading of results, Supreme Court bin don decide di mata for Oyetola case (Govnorship election petition case for Osun state).
Di third issue na if Inec fit decide di mode of transmitting results wey court don already resolve in di case of APC vs Labour Party recently for Lagos High Court.
Di question of giving FCT special status go give over bearing and discrimination privilege over oda states of di federation.
Di witnesses wey dem bring no dispute di figures from di polling units, dem only complain about upload.
None of di witnesses tok say dem no collate results, and non of di witnesses present an alternative result.
On di issue of dual citizenship, di constitution say dem no go fit disqualify any citizen by birth sake of say im get citizenship for anoda kontri.
Di forfeiture of proceedings na civil case no be criminal case and e happun over 20 years ago “our constitution na forgiving one, afta ten years even though you don sin, e say go and do no more.” Lateef Fagbemi bin tok.
Atiku and Obi final written addresses
Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Vice Ahmed Datti for di tribunal hearing
Lead counsel to PDP presidential candidate Chris Uche, SAN bin say di areas wey dem disagree wit Inec, Bola Tinubu and APC na di following:
Di glitch wey happun no be technical glitch but na deliberate by-pass of di technology to aid dia manipulation.
Di non-compliance of Inec dey deliberate.
Di shutdown na nationwide e happun no be just some polling units and e create room for manipulation.
E also add say no party dey empowered to add to di states by creating a 37th state (FCT).
Plus say, time no dey run against crime so even if pesin commit crime over 20 years ago e go ansa for am and e get consequences.
E pray di court to give value to di European Union, EU report about di election even though no be court judgement.
“Make court strike out di points of law, adopt di trends and make court give substantial justice and not technical justice.
Even though no court for Nigeria don cancel election results before, make dem start am wit dis one.”
Meanwhile, lead counsel to Peter Obi, Livy Uzoukwu, SAN bin tell court say di respondent only make heavy issues out wey no dey inside Labour Party petition.
Concerning di 18,088 blurred results wey LP tok say Inec upload for Irev, Inec lead counsel Abubakar Mahmood say Labour Party no prove say dem change anytin for di original copies.
Background to di Tribunal sitting
One of di sittings of di Presidential Election Petition Court for Abuja.
Di Presidential Election petition tribunal start to sit for Abuja on 8 May, 2023.
Dem begin wit di pre-hearing sessions wia dem agree on di kain of evidences dem go bring, number of witnesses and di time dem go finish dia petitions and defence.
On 5 July, 2023 court hear di cases of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi finish.
Atiku Abubakar close im case afta e bring 27 witnesses wit exhibits, Peter Obi also close im case afta im call 13 witness wey testify and present plenti documents and exhibits too.
Inec and President Bola Tinubu close dia case afta dem bring only one witness each.
But di All Progressives Congress, APC close dia cases witout any witness.
Di Respondents, Inec, Tinubu and APC for inside dia written addresses tell court to dismiss all di petitions sake of say e no get merit.
Dem argue say di petitioners no fit present dia case well sake of di big proof wey di law give dem.
Dem also add say di petitions sama allegations for dia head wey get elements of crime inside and dem fail to prove dia case beyond all reasonable doubt as di law require.
Action Alliance, AA and Action Peoples Party withdraw dia petitions before di main hearing even start.
According to di Electoral Act for 2022, candidates wey no like as di election waka get 21 days afta Inec announce winner to file dia petition for court, while di presidential election petition court get within 180 days to give judgement.
