Ahead of the commencement of the sitting of the presidential petition Tribunal on Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says the May 29 swearing-in of the winner of the last presidential election is not sacrosanct.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been declared winner of the election by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC and is billed to assume office in a few days by taking over from the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari whose tenure ends that day.
But some Nigerians have opined that the swearing-in should be postponed until all the election petitions are decided by the courts.
The opposition PDP whose candidate, Atiku Abubakar is asking the court to declare him winner, has also demanded that the Tribunal sittings be broadcast live on national televisions.
The party’s demand is contained in an application filed by its counsel, Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
Uche in the petition has applied for “An order directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the courtroom.”
The PDP said many Nigerians who participated in the February 25 election and the international community are interested in the proceedings of the Tribunal, saying that they want to see whether justice will truly be dispensed by the courts.
This can only be done by ensuring that the proceedings are broadcast live, the opposition party said.
According to the PDP, “With the huge and tremendous technological advances and developments in Nigeria and beyond, including the current trend by this court towards embracing electronic procedures, virtual hearing and electronic filing, a departure from the rules to allow a regulated televising of the proceedings in this matter is in consonance with the maxim that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.
“Televising court proceedings is not alien to this court, and will enhance public confidence.”
Speaking earlier on the May 29 handover date, the Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi said the swearing-in could be postponed, saying that the wrong person should not be allowed to take over the presidency until the Tribunal decides the winner.
Amadi, a former Adviser to Senate President Ken Nnamani, said the court must be allowed to make a clarification on the legal status of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.
He wrote, “Clarification on Legal Status of President-Elect.
“@officialABAT is PRESIDENT-ELECT. But he is not yet President.
- It isn’t automatic that he will form the next government. He has a serious case in tribunal that can go either way.
- The tribunal can stop the inauguration before 29.
“Like I always say, corruption in language leads to corruption in statecraft. Just as the law gave @inecnigeria power to make a declaration, it gives the judiciary the power to reverse it. There’s no constitutional duty to inaugurate on May 29 if a declaration is legally challenged as here.
“There is no fait accompli about the situation. Some use of language can create a false narrative where we believe that a declaration by @inecnigeria no matter how wrong constitutes a new government. No. It does not, until the final court says so,” Amadi said in a statement on his verified Twitter handle.
