JUST IN: Presidential Tribunal Says ‘No Date Yet’ For Judgement On Obi, Atiku’s Petition Against Tinubu

The Presidential Election Petitions Court sitting in Abuja has denied that a date has been fixed for judgment on the respective petitions challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.

A verified Twitter user by the name Serah Ibrahim on Monday tweeted that the PEPC “has set September 16 2023 as the judgment date for the Peter Obi and Labour party’s case against Bole Tinubu, INEC, Shettima and APC.”

The tweet was retweeted more than 2,083 times as of the time of this report.

THE WHISTLER spoke to the Secretary of the PEPC panel, Barrister Josephine J. Ekperobe, for confirmation or denial of the viral post.

“No date yet” the official replied to THE WHISTLER‘s inquiry.

THE WHISTLER reports that the PEPC’s five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani was inaugurated to preside over petitions challenging the outcome of the presidential election declared in favour of President Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

All the petitioners, Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and the Allied Peoples Movement APM; alongside the defendants (INEC, Tinubu, Kashim Shettima and others) have closed their cases after presenting witnesses and tendering evidence to support their respective submissions.

Obi’s legal team alleged that INEC connived with Tinubu to blur his additional 2.5 million votes that would have put him as the winner of the polls.

Atiku claimed that INEC did not comply with its guidelines when the INEC Results Viewing Portal IRev portal failed to upload election results in real-time from polling units, thereby allegedly paving way for rigging.

The defendants also filed and argued their final written addresses asking the court to throw out all the petitions challenging the election of Tinubu for lacking in merit.

INEC maintained that the petitioners failed to provide the party agents’ polling results to counter what was already announced by INEC Chairman, Yakubu Mahmood.

The PEPC had adjourned, saying it will communicate the date for judgment to “parties”.

THE WHISTLER further reports that judgment on the petitions will come on or before September 17, in line with the 6 months timeline constitutionally stipulated by law for the panel to conclude the case.