The Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have filed an application with the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) to request a live broadcast of the tribunal’s proceedings. According to Pulse, the PEPT commenced its sessions at the Appeal Court in Abuja on Monday, May 8, 2023, to address the legal challenges against the victory of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general elections.
Initially, a total of five opposition parties had filed petitions contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election held on February 25. However, two of the petitioners, the Action People’s Party (APP) and the Action Alliance (AA), have withdrawn their complaints against the President-elect, leaving the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party to continue with their legal battle.
On the third day of the proceedings, which took place on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, Peter Obi and the Labour Party requested the court to allow media outlets to broadcast the hearings live to both Nigerian and global audiences. This request echoes a similar plea made by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who urged the court to allow live telecasts of the proceedings on the first day of the hearings.
The motion submitted by Peter Obi, through his legal team led by Chris Uche, SAN, specifically sought “an order directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on the procedures for admitting media practitioners and their equipment into the courtroom.”
In a related development, Pulse previously reported that the tribunal had adjourned the prehearing session on Peter Obi and the Labour Party’s petition until May 17, as per the petitioners’ request. Livy Uzoukwu, the counsel representing Peter Obi, informed the tribunal that they needed additional time to file and serve pending processes, leading to the request for a later date for the prehearing session.
