Presidential Election Tribunal Hears PDP, Atiku’s Petition, Adjourns for 30 Minutes

Atiku Abubakar


By Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which on Wednesday continued hearing into the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the last presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, against the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari has adjourned for 30 minutes.

The legal team of the PDP and its presidential candidate led by Dr. Levy Uzoukwu (SAN) told the Court that the team required 20 minutes to peruse a counter-affidavit by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The petitioners had in the last sitting asked the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to withdraw from the five-member panel of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on grounds that she would likely be biased in the handling of the tribunal’s proceedings

Noting that he and his colleagues were in court to argue their motion filed on May 16, Uzoukwu said: “Surprisingly, 13 minutes ago, the third respondent served us with a counter-affidavit running up to 250 pages. That looked like an ambush to me.

“About 50 minutes earlier, we received that of the second respondent but in that case, we had time to read. My appeal is to ask for just 20 minutes to go through what has been served us, to be able to respond.”

In her ruling, Justice Bulkachuwa adjourned proceeding for 30 minutes to allow the counsel read the document.