The Presidential Election Petition Court has released the timetable for the hearing of petitions filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party and Allied Peoples Movement seeking to invalidate the victory of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, in the 25 February election.
The court announced that the hearing of the petitions would commence on 30 May.
The development followed the conclusion of the pre-hearing sessions in which the court allocated time for the litigants and also consolidated the three petitions which would be heard as one despite opposition by the All Progressives Congress and Tinubu.
The Chairman of the five-man panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, who delivered the ruling during the proceedings on Tuesday, dismissed the objections raised against the merger by the president-elect, the APC, the vice-president-elect, Kashim Shettima and Kabir Masari, the APC place-holder.
The Independent National Electoral Commission left the consolidation decision to the panel and did not oppose the idea.
READ ALSO: Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal Adjourns LP, APP Petitions Till 30 May
In its ruling, the court maintained that the demand for justice supported the consolidation to aid the speedy dispensation of justice.
It held that the three petitions were about the same subject matter – the 2023 election and the return of the president-elect.
The court further noted that consolidation of the three petitions would ensure justice in the matter, adding that the parties would adopt their final briefs of argument to enable it to fix a date for judgment.
On the subject of time to present their case, the panel directed Obi and the LP to do so within three weeks against their proposed seven weeks within which they planned to present 50 witnesses to prove their case against Tinubu.
Obi, through his counsel, Awa Kalu, SAN, had requested seven weeks to establish his case against the disputed election.
However, Justice Tsammani ordered Obi to open his petition for hearing on Tuesday, 30 May, and end the same on 23 June.
READ ALSO: PDP, LP, APM Left in Election Hearing as APP Withdraws Petition Against Tinubu, APC
Furthermore, he stated that Obi’s camp would adopt its final briefs of argument on August 5 after which the court would deliver judgment on his petition.
Whereas the court gave INEC two days to present its defence, it gave Tinubu and the APC five days each to defend the petitions.
Likewise, the court gave the 4th respondent in the case, Kabiru Masari, three days to also defend himself.
The panel noted that a total of 166 witnesses would be called to testify in the matter.
It stressed that the star witnesses in the petition would only be allowed to adopt their written depositions, make oral submissions and identify documents where it is required.
In addition, the panel emphasized that examination and cross-examination in all cases would be strictly monitored and enforced without an intention to extend the dates.
Following the presentation of the schedule for Obi’s petition, the court in a similar fashion fixed 30 May as day one in the hearing of the petitions by the Allied Peoples Movement and the Peoples Democratic Party, now consolidated.
Aside from Atiku who came second in the election, and Obi of the LP who came third in the election, the APM equally lodged a petition to challenge the outcome of the presidential election.
Though five petitions were initially filed to challenge the return of Tinubu as the winner of the election, however, the Action Alliance, on May 8 withdrew its case while the Action Peoples Party discontinued its own petition a few days later.
As in the case of LP and Obi, the PDP and the APM did not object to the duly signed and certified documents by INEC but reserved the right to object to other documents.
However, they both disagreed with an out-of-court settlement agreement and subscribed to the hearing of the petitions.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Election Tribunal Merges APM, LP, PDP Petitions
The APM which has one witness was directed to present its case within a day.
According to the pre-hearing report by the court, the PDP and Atiku have 10 interlocutory applications with nine preliminary objections by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents.
While the APM will adopt its brief of argument on 3 July, the PDP and Atiku are to adopt theirs on 8 August.
The PDP and Atiku had informed the court of their plan to prove their case through 100 witnesses, but the court granted them three weeks to do so.
Atiku had in his joint petition with the PDP, marked: CA/PEPC/05/2023, applied for the withdrawal of the certificate of return that was issued to Tinubu by INEC.