The Presidential Election Petition Court on Tuesday consolidated the three surviving petitions before it.
The three petitions are by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi and his party, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his party.
While the Petitioners are in support of the consolidation of the Petitions, in line with Paragraph 50 of the first schedule to the Electoral Act, all the respondents, through their counsel opposed the consolidation.
Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kemi Pinhero (SAN) in his submissions on Monday said the electoral umpire is indifferent and will abide by the decision of the court on the issue of consolidation while, the APC, Tinubu, the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima and Kabiru Masari, the fifth respondent in the petition, through their counsel, vehemently opposed consolidation.
The respondents held that the interest of justice will not be served if the petitions are consolidated as the grounds raised by parties are not the same and urged the court not to consolidate the petitions.
The five-member panel, led byJustice Haruna Tsammani, consolidated the petitions after directing parties on Saturday to look at the provisions of paragraph 50 of the first Schedule of the Electoral Act regarding the issue of consolidation.
Tsammani also adjourned until May 30 for full hearing.
NAN
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