The Presidential Election Petitions Court has upheld the position of the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar on the consolidation of the three petitions challenging the qualifications and declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the February 25 presidential election.
The Court in the pre-hearing session report presented by Justice Stephen Adah announced the consolidation of the three petitions instituted by Atiku, Peter Obi and the Allied People’s Movement APM.
The Court agreed with lawyers to Atiku that given the time bound nature of the petitions, it was appropriate to merge them in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
Justice Adah held that the Court took the decision because the three petitions were related to the same election and same declaration of results.
Tinubu had earlier opposed to the consolidation move on the ground that interest of justice would not be met.
But Atiku and PDP who saw the objection to consolidation as a ploy to delay quick disposal of the three petitions, had prayed the Court to adopt the move so as to be able to do substantial justice to their respective grievances against Tinubu’s election.
Meanwhile, the Court has given Atiku and PDP three weeks within which to argue their complaints against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the presidential election.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani has fixed the 30th of this month, for hearing of the three petitions.
Reporting by Ifeoma Nwovu; Editing by Oluwaseyi Ajibade and Daniel Adejo