The presidential election petition tribunal has dismissed the application filed by a factional chairman of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Mr Poland Tambre seeking to expunge the name of HDP as a party in the petition challenging the election of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The five-man tribunal panel headed Justice Muhammed Garba in its ruling on Thursday held that the applicant (the factional HDP) did not swear to an affidavit challenging the averment by Mr Ambrose Oworu on the recognised leadership of the HDP neither is there any evidence before the court showing that the leadership of the party led by Mr Oworu is been questioned in any competent court of law.
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The tribunal also held that even though it is not expressly written, HDP is a political party that participates in an election and it is therefore expected that if there is any cause of action against an election the party is a co-petitioner in that matter.
The Tribunal, therefore, ruled that such the application by Mr Tampre that the name of HDP be expunged from the petition fails and is dismissed.
The tribunal adjourned further pre-hearing session in respect of the petition till July 2 to enable INEC which is the first respondent respond to a counter affidavit filed by the HDP against INEC challenging its application seeking to dismiss the petition of the HDP against the election of President Buhari.
A faction of HDP led by Poland Tapre had earlier filed an application before the tribunal praying for the withdrawal of the party as a co-petitioner in the case on the grounds that the petition was filed in the name of the party without its consent.
The faction claimed that Owuru had since been suspended from the party in August 2018, and Tapre had been the National Chairman of the party.
