PEPC: Staff illness stalls Wednesday hearing of Obi, LP’s petition

The scheduled hearing of the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), was delayed on Wednesday due to the ill-health of key staff in the party’s secretariat.

The petition challenged the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

The five-member panel of Justices, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, had fixed Wednesday for the further hearing of the LP’s petition at 9 am, followed by the hearing of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, also challenging Tinubu’s election, at 2 pm.

The LP and Mr Peter Obi were scheduled to continue presenting their case by calling witnesses and tendering documents. The court had allocated specific time for them to do so.

However, when the petition was called on Wednesday morning, Awa Kalu (SAN), counsel to Obi and the Labour Party, informed the court about certain challenges they were facing at their secretariat. Kalu explained that key staff members of the petitioners had fallen ill, preventing them from proceeding with the proceedings of the day. Consequently, he requested an adjournment until Thursday.

Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), as well as Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) representing Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) representing the APC, did not object to Kalu’s request for an adjournment.

However, Mahmoud urged the court to record the day against the petitioners and deduct it from the number of days previously allocated to them for presenting their case.

In response, Justice Tsammani granted Kalu’s request for an adjournment and rescheduled the hearing to resume at 9 am on Thursday. The court will then proceed with the hearing of the petition filed by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP against Tinubu’s election later in the day, at 2 pm.

Further details regarding the proceedings will be provided in subsequent updates.