Tribunal gives Peter Obi, 3 weeks to present case against Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi must in the next three weeks, prove that he, rather than Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the February 25 presidential election, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on March 1.  

This was the verdict of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, sitting as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), where Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, had taken the case challenging the decision of the electoral umpire against Tinubu, also former Governor of Lagos State.

The tribunal, which said speed was off the essence, gave the order to ensure a speedy hearing of the petition, laying out some other procedures to be followed during the period, including that there would be no oral examination of witnesses and that the adoption of witness statements will be required. 

The tribunal also stated that for star (or expert) witnesses, 30 minutes shall be used for evidence in chief, while 20 minutes will be for cross-examination, and five minutes for re-examination.

Prompt News reports that with the above pronouncement of the court, the trial proper begins on Tuesday May, 30, 2023 to end on June 23 just as the proceedings are expected to drag till end of August, 2023.