On Monday, the proceedings at the presidential election petition tribunal came to a halt due to the non-appearance of a witness. The Labour Party, along with its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had filed a petition challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 election. A major point raised in the petition was the claim that Tinubu did not secure a majority of lawful votes cast.
Having presented 13 witnesses, the petitioners concluded their case on June 23. Although the pre-hearing schedule initially set the date for the respondents to begin their defence on June 30, the court later directed them to do so on July 3.
During the hearing, Abubakar Mahmoud, the counsel representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), sought an adjournment, explaining that none of their three witnesses were present in court, with the first witness citing a family emergency as the reason for their absence.
Both Livy Uzoukwu, counsel to the petitioner, and the legal representatives of Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not object to the adjournment request.
Consequently, the five-member panel, presided over by Haruna Tsammani, adjourned the case until Tuesday.