Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the February 23
presidential election, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Peter Obi, have
asked the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to name
her replacement in the five-man panel constituted to hear their petition.
In a letter by the Atiku-Obi presidential election petition
legal team, the candidates reminded Justice Bulkachuwa that she promised to
name her replacement while withdrawing from the Presidential Election Petitions
Tribunal (PEPT) panel on May 22.
Atiku and Obi, in the letter dated May 31, and signed by
Silas Joseph Onu, drew Justice Bulkachuwa’s attention to the fact that time was
of the essence.
The former vice president and the PDP are, by a joint
petition, challenging the outcome of the last presidential election won by
President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although the PEPT dismissed their motion seeking Justice
Bulkachuwa’s withdrawal from the panel on grounds of likely bias, the Court of
Appeal President, recused herself as the tribunal’s chairman on personal
grounds.
Since the development on May 22, the tribunal has not sat,
prompting the letter by the Atiku/Obi legal team.
The letter, a copy of which The Nation sighted in Abuja
yesterday, reads: “I am one of the counsel in the legal team prosecuting the
above petition on behalf of the petitioners.
“l have the authority of the lead counsel, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu
(SAN) to write this letter.
“My Lord will recall that on 22nd May 2019, the above
mentioned petition came up for a motion requesting that my Lord to recuse
himself from further presiding or participating in this petition.
“At the end of the proceedings, my Lord graciously recused
himself on personal grounds and promised to appoint another Justice to continue
with the petition.
“My Lord, it is 9 (nine) days since the date my Lord recused
himself and nothing has been heard regarding the replacement that was to be
made thereafter.
“Considering the strict requirement of keeping to the
constitutional calendar for a petition and the obvious fact that time is also
running fast against the petitioners, we pray my Lord to act timeously in
appointing a replacement so that we will get a hearing notice and continue with
the petition in the interest of justice.”
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