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The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Thursday fixed August 21 for final arguments in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
This followed the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, the last two respondents to the petition, to close their case on Thursday.
On that August 21, the five-man tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Garba will announce a date for judgment after listening to the closing arguments of lawyers.
The tribunal may also decide to reserve the judgment that day and later communicate the date to lawyers representing the parties in the case.
The date of the judgment either announced on August 21 or later must be within the 180 days period (six months) from the date of filing of the petition which the law prescribes for the hearing and determination of an election petition.
With the petition filed on March 18, it implies that the judgment will be delivered before the middle of September.
The petitioners are by their petition challenging the victory of Buhari and the APC at the February 23, 2019, presidential poll.
The other respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission, had earlier closed its case without calling any witness.
Buhari’s legal team which called seven witnesses between Tuesday and Wednesday closed its case without calling an additional witness on Thursday.
The APC’s team also said on Thursday that it would not call any witness.
The petitioners through their legal team led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), had on July 19 rested their case with 62 witnesses.
Buhari’s legal team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) which called seven witnesses between Tuesday and Wednesday, closed its case without calling additional witnesses on Thursday.
When asked for his reaction, the APC’s lead counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), also said on Thursday that he and the senior lawyers in his team found it unnecessary to call any witness.
The five-man tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Garba subsequently gave the three respondents to file and serve on the petitioners their final written addresses within three days starting from Monday (August 5).
The tribunal gave the petitioners seven days from the time they are served to file and serve on the respondents their final written addresses.
It gave the respondents two days to, if necessary, file their final addresses in reply to the petitioners’ addresses.
Justice Mohammed announced that the closing of final addresses would close on August 16.
He then fixed August 21 for the adoption of the final addresses by the lawyers representing the parties in the case. The date for judgment in the case would be announced by the tribunal that day.
(The Punch)
