A mild drama unfolded on Friday at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal as the justices of the court refused to acknowledge the counsel representing the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the courtroom atmosphere turned tense as the tribunal commenced the pre-hearing session for the petition filed by the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi.
Awa Kalu stepped forward to announce his appearance as the party’s legal representative.
However, another lawyer, Oba Maduabuchi, swiftly rose to counter Kalu, declaring his own representation for the Labour Party’s Lamidi Apapa faction. Maduabuchi informed the court that he had been assigned the brief to represent the faction, Arise TV reports.
The court intervened promptly, asserting that the Apapa faction had not filed the petition and therefore could not present legal representation for the Labour Party.
Furthermore, the court emphasized that a single party cannot have two counsels representing it simultaneously.
The current proceedings involve various applications by both Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), seeking an order from the Presidential Election Petition court to strike out the petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 Presidential Election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC have each filed two applications, while Tinubu has submitted three applications seeking the dismissal of Atiku Abubakar and the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) petition against the presidential election results.
Following the adoption of the processes by all parties involved, the five-member panel of the court, chaired by Justice Haruna Tsammani, has reserved its ruling, which will be delivered along with the final judgment.
