Presidential Polls: Atiku, PDP Challenge Buhari’s Victory, Seek Tribunal’s Order to Inspect INEC Register

By Alex Enumah in Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in
the February 23 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his party on Tuesday in Abuja, commenced legal process challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polls.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared
President Buhari and his party, APC, winner of the poll, having scored
a total of 15,191,847 as against 11,262,978 by Atiku and the PDP.

Dissatisfied with the conduct and outcome of the election, the former
vice-president and his party vowed to approach the election petition tribunal to ventilate their grievances as well as reclaim their alleged stolen mandate.

Consequently, the plaintiffs on Tuesday filed an exparte motion at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, venue of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

In the motion, Atiku and the PDP are praying for an order compelling INEC to allow them inspect the voter’ register and other vital documents used in the conduct of the election.

Respondents in the motion exparte dated March 4 and filed March 5
include INEC, President Buhari and the APC.

The motion filed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Chris Uche, is praying the tribunal to compel the electoral body to allow their agents to scan and make photocopies of vital documents used in the last presidential election for the purpose of proving their case at the tribunal.

The application, according to THISDAY findings, is supported with a 12-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd.), Director of Contact and Mobilisation for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council.

Both Atiku and the PDP are claiming that they won the presidential election but were short changed by INEC during the collation and announcement of the results.

However, no date has been fixed for hearing of the motion.

When THISDAY visited the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division serving as the presidential election petition tribunal, a functional registry and secretariat have been opened for the purpose of receiving
petitions from aggrieved presidential candidates against the last presidential election.