Five Appeal Court Judges have been named to oversee the petition brought before The Appeal Court by Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, and others, against Bola Tinubu, INEC and APC.
Recall that Obi, Abubakar Atiku of PDP and some other presidential candidates had filed petitions at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) to challenge the conduct and subsequent announcement of the presidential election held on February 25 by INEC.
Members of the Appeal Court Judges are as follows:
1. JUSTICE HARUNA SIMON TSAMMANI (Bauchi State).
2. JUSTICE STEPHEN JONAH ADAH (Kogi State).
3. JUSTICE ABBA BELLO MOHAMMED (Kano State).
4. JUSTICE JOSEPH IKYEGH (Benue State).
5. JUSTICE MONICA BOLNA’AN DONGBAN-MENSEM (Plateau State).
From the release, the tribunal would be presided over by the President of Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem.
The PEPT is the court of first instance and has jurisdiction in presidential-election-related petitions.
Late last year, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Lateef Ariwoola inaugurated two hundred and seventy-seven election petitions tribunal judges to preside over matters relating to 2023 governorship, national and state assembly elections.
So far, there are five petitions against the presidential election which are from Peter Obi and the Labour party, Atiku Abubakar and Peoples Democratic Party, Action Alliance (AA) and its presidential candidate Mr Solomon Okangbuan Allied People’s Movement (APM) and its presidential candidate, Princess Chichi Ojei and Actions Peoples Party.
Here are reactions from some Twitter users:
@jasperjay120 – Why is there no Igbo justice there?
Others say, Dougban-Mensem is the President of the CA so she should be number one on the list and also the presiding judge. Five judges cannot preside over a matter. Four are sitting with a presiding judge who is the President of the the CA.
Another say, “I hope they will make sound decisions and deliver credible judgments on the level of evidence before them and not based on prejudice. @temptee101 – They should do the needful and save country from the impending doom that is at the verge of befalling her.
