Unexpected Development Causes adjournment of Peter Obi’s petition

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, has persuaded the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, to adjourn further proceedings on the case he filed to challenge the outcome of the presidential election that held on February 25.

Obi, through his team of lawyers led by Prof. Awa Kalu, SAN, on Wednesday, told the court that two of his key staff members, suddenly fell ill.

He said the indisposition of the duo, who were described as part of the engine room of his legal Secretariat, affected his plan to tender vital documents before the court to prove his allegation that the presidential election was rigged in favour of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.

“My lords, our plan for today’s proceedings was to start with the presentation of our documents, but unfortunately, we had some unexpected development.

“The unexpected development concerns the sudden illness of two of our key staff, for which reason I am constrained to ask for an adjournment till tomorrow.

“It is with the greatest humility and apology that we make this application.

“I assure my lords that we will be here tomorrow morning and we will proceed with vigour,” Prof. Kalu, SAN, pleaded.

Obi’s lawyer told the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel that he had before the sitting commenced, informed Tinubu’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, about the development.

In his response, Tinubu’s lawyer, Chief Olanipekun, SAN, told the court that he was not opposed to the request for an adjournment.

Likewise, Mr. Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, who appeared for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as well as counsel for the APC, prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said they were equally not opposed to the request.

However, the respondents prayed the court to minus a day from the three weeks that was originally slated for Obi to present his case.

In a brief ruling, Justice Tsammani acceded to the application and adjourned the petition till Thursday.

ADVERTISEMENT

It will be recalled that Obi and the LP had indicated their decision to call a total of 50 witnesses in the matter.

Specifically, Obi, who came third in the election, is in the joint petition he filed with the LP, contending that Tinubu was not the valid winner of the presidential election.