By Kamil Opeyemi
The presidential election tribunal has commenced pre-hearing in the suit filed by Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, challenging the election of Bola Tinubu as president-elect.
At the pre-hearing session on Tuesday, Chris Uche, counsel to Atiku and the PDP, told the court that he has filed the necessary processes for pre-hearing.
Uche also told the court that he has filed a motion, seeking to have the proceedings televised due to the national interest around the case.
The senior advocate said the application should be given priority at the commencement of the hearing.
Lawyers to the respondents in the suit noted that they had filed their various responses to the petition.
Lateef Fagbemi, counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC), also told the court that he has filed two motions seeking to dismiss the petition and to strike out the responses of the petitioners.
Other lawyers for the respondents are Abubakar Mahmoud, for INEC and Akin Olujinmi for Tinubu.
The respondents also said they will file their responses within the time allowed by the rules of the court.
After counsels adopted their various responses, a five-member panel of the tribunal led by Haruna Tsammani, ordered the lawyers to meet and harmonise their positions in respect of documents to be tendered, those they will object to and those to allow.
Similarly, The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in a a petition marked CA/PEPC/04/ challenging the outcome of the Feb 25 presidential election was also heard.
The respondents are Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Action Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, Sen.Kashim Shettima and Kabir Madari.
Counsel to the petitioners, S.A. Abubakar told the panel that on the behalf of the petitioners, filed on April 21 and adopted it as answers to rely on during the proceedings.
Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN counsel to INEC adopted their answers filed on May 5 as their response to the petition.
Lateef Fagbemi, SAN , counsel for APC also adopted their answers filed on May 2,
He however, informed the panel that they filed two motions on May 8 which would be taken at the appropriate time.
Akin Olujimi for Tinubu and Shettima also adopted their answers filed on May 3.
Lastly, Mr Toni Aliyu, SAN also adopted their answers filed on May 2 with two applications to be heard at the appropriate time.
According to the APM, Tinubu and Shettima were not qualified to contest the election on the grounds of the alleged double nomination of the vice president-elect.
The panel headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani after listening directed parties to harmonise their answers and consider what to be taken and not.
He further adjourned the pre-hearing until Thursday.
It would be recalled that the tribunal started pre-hearing on Monday and will hear four petitions challenging the declaration of Tinubu by INEC as the winner of Feb. 25 Presidential Election.