Election Tribunals Receive 736 Petitions against 2019 Elections

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A document from the Election Petition Tribunal, located in the premises of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, has revealed that 736 petitions against the conduct and outcome of the 2019 general election have so far been received as at April 4, 2019.

The document which emanated from the office of the Deputy Chief Registrar, Election Petitions Tribunal, Court of Appeal, Mrs. Rabi Abdulazeez, showed that the petitions cut across all levels of the 2019 election, with the state House of Assembly election leading the pack with 381 petitions, while the presidential election so far has remained four.

A breakdown of the figures further revealed that while the tribunals have so far received 207 petitions against the outcome of the senatorial election, a total of 101 and 43 petitions have so far been recorded against the House of Representatives and governorship election so far.
The figures as released by the Information Officer of the Court of Appeal, Saadatu Musa Kachalla, stated:
“House of Representatives elections 101; Senatorial elections 207; Governorship elections 43; state Houses of Assembly election 381; and
Presidential election 4.

Copies of the petitions were on display at the premises of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, venue of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

Among the four petitions so far received challenging the return of President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Both Atiku and the PDP had in their petitions marked: CA/PEPC/002/2019 and filed March 18, urged the tribunal to nullify the election of Buhari and the APC on the grounds that they did not score the lawful majority votes at the February 23 presidential poll.

They cited wide spread rigging of the election and suppression of voters in areas where the PDP holds sway amongst other irregularities they claimed mar the credibility of the election.

While they urged the tribunal to nullify Buhari’s election and call for a fresh election, they however prayed the tribunal to declare them as winner of the February 23 presidential election.

In instituting their petition, both Atiku and PDP had earlier sought and obtained leave of the court to inspect materials used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct of the poll.

They had also sought and received the permission of court to serve their petitions against Buhari through his party, the APC.

Other petitioners challenging the outcome of the presidential poll include, the Hope Democratic Party and its National Chairman/presidential candidate, Ambrose Owuru; the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and its presidential candidate, Aminchi Habu and the Coalition for Change, (C4C) and its presidential candidate, Jeff Ojinika.
Respondents in the suits include INEC, Buhari, the APC and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.