Presidential election tribunal to fix judgment Jan 28

07.12.2007

THE Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has said that it will fix a date for judgment on the petitions filed over the last April presidential election on January 28, 2008.

Stating this on Thursday at the opening and closure of defence of all respondents in the suit, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice James Ogebe, adjourned the case till January 28, in order to afford parties in the two separate petitions filed over the election to adopt their written addresses.

Former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC), had filed a petition before the tribunal over the April pesidential election.

All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate and former military head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), had also protested the conduct and results of the election before the tribunal.

At the hearing yesterday, Atiku and Buhari lost in their bid to stop President Umaru Yar’Adua and VicePresident Goodluck Jonathan from tendering some documents, described as very crucial to proving that they won the April 21 presidential election.

The documents, eventually admitted in evidence by the tribunal, include the entire results of Lagos State for the poll, which have Atiku, candidate of the AC as the winner.

Yar’Adua’s Certificate of Return (COR) issued him by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also tendered and admitted in evidence.

Counsel for Yar’Adua, Chief Wole Olanipekun, who tendered the documents from the Bar, told the court that the essence of tendering the Lagos State results would be told the whole world during parties’ final address to court.

All the respondents in the consolidated petitions of Buhari and Atiku, wherein they sought the cancellation of the election, opened and closed their defence yesterday.

The respondents include President Yar’Adua, Vice President Jonathan, the INEC, police, Chief of Defence Staff and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).