…as hearing resumes today

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has enumerated reasons why the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja should forthwith, throw out the petition that was filed before it by the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.

Adducing its reasons through a preliminary objection that was filed  by 10 Senior Advocates of Nigeria led by Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN, the PDP maintained that the petition was vexatious, vague and a quintessential abuse of judicial process.

The party contended that the mere fact that the CPC decided to approach the registry of the tribunal on a Sunday for the purposes of filing its petition, amounted to judicial smuggling, stressing that such move ipso facto rendered the suit nugatory and dies non-juridicus.

PDP implored the Justice Isa Ayo Salami-led tribunal to take cognizance of the express provisions of Section 137 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended), Order 3 Rule 9 of the Court of Appeal Rules 2011, Order 46 Rule 4 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2009 and Paragraphs 4 (d) and 47 (1) of the 1st Schedule to the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended), with a view to ascertaining the propriety of the action which was instituted on May 8 which was a Sunday.