Hearing of LP, Obi petitions against Tinubu halted by illness
Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, asked the Presidential Election Petition Court for adjournment of hearing of its petition challenging the February 25 presidential election as a result of illness of two staff in the Secretariat of the party.
The request for adjournment was made by counsel to Obi and the LP, Awa Kalu at the resumption of the hearing of the petition on Wednesday.
LP and Obi were expected to continue the presentation of their case by calling more witnesses and tendering documents, but Kalu (SAN) told the court that while they had planned to start with tendering of documents, they are constrained by some difficulties at their secretariat.
“My lords, our plan was to continue our case but we had an unexpected development at the secretariat.
“The unexpected development has to do with the Illness of two of our key staff members for which reason I am constrained to pray for an adjournment until tomorrow,” Kalu said.
He consequently asked the court for an adjournment to June 1 for continuation of the hearing of the petition.
While not opposing the request, lawyer to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud, however, said it should be on record that Labour Party had lost one day to call its witnesses.
“My lords I thought learned counsel would have given us heads up on this, however, in the circumstance, I am constrained not to object and this will count as a day out of their three weeks,” the INEC lawyer said.
Also, the lawyers to Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Wole Olanikpekun and Lateef Fagbemi, did not oppose the adjournment.
Subsequently, the five-man panel of Justices led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned hearing of the petition to June 1.
Labour Party had on Tuesday called one of the 50 witnesses it said will call to prove that it won the 2023 presidential election at the tribunal.
The party has 49 more witnesses to call to prove its case against Tinubu at the court.