The legal teams of the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023, presidential election, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, respectively, have received the Certified True Copies of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Recall that In a judgement delivered on Wednesday by the five-man panel of the PEPT led by Haruna Tsammani, held that the case brought before it by Peter Obi of Labour Party, and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party lacks merit, thereby upholding the victory of President Tinubu in the Feb 25 Presidential election.
Reacting, Atiku and Obi rejected the court’s judgment, vowing to approach the Supreme Court.
A 798-page document, which appeared to be the copy of the judgement given to the legal team of the All Progressive Congress (APC), went viral on Friday. The document was signed by the Secretary of the PEPC and dated September 8, 2023. This led to speculations as to why the copy of the judgement should be released to the ruling party without being handed also to the opposition.
Atiku, through his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu, had, in a statement issued on Friday, slammed the PEPC for allegedly failing to release the certified copies of the judgment to the former vice president’s legal team.
“By not making available to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Certified True Copies of the judgment of Wednesday for its filings at the Supreme Court, the Presidential Election Petition Court is undermining Atiku’s and Nigerians’ quest for justice,” Shaibu had claimed.
Both candidates have now confirmed the receipt of the judgment.
“I have a copy of the judgment; they are scanning it at the moment,” Obi’s lead counsel, Dr Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), confirmed to Saturday PUNCH.
Also, Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), confirmed the development.
“Yes; we have just received it,” he said.