PDP’s Petition: APC Decides Not To Call Witness At Tribunal

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday decided not to call any witness in the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

Counsel to the ruling party and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, also said the APC would close its case at the Tribunal sitting in Abuja.

He explained that ordinary the third respondents in the matter should open their case today but as senior lawyers, they must come clear and clean.

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Mr Fagbemi said he was grateful to the petitioners for providing ammunition for his defence at the Tribunal.

He added that having reviewed all evidence adduced, there was no point to indulge in any ‘overkill’ of the exercise.

Thanking the Tribunal for its patience, APC counsel said they were satisfied with the cross-examination and other documents tendered in the case.

He, however, made an application to tender some documents and asked the court to extend the time limit for filing their final addresses.

The senior lawyer requested for three days and urged the Tribunal to allow the days to run from Monday.

Counsel to the President who is also a SAN, Mr Wole Olanipekun, also appealed that the time to file their final address starts from Monday.

On his part, the petitioners’ counsel Mr Levi Uzoukwu (SAN) said he predicted that was what the respondents would do.

He, therefore, thanked them for not wasting the time of the court.

Mr Uzoukwu noted that their application to file their reply from Monday would mean seven days instead of the three days agreed upon.

As such, he asked for seven days too from the point of service.

In his ruling, the Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Mohammed Garba, granted the application for the respondents to file their final address within three days from Monday.

According to him, the respondents have three days upon receipt of the addresses and if they wish to reply on points of law, they have two days to do so.

Justice Garba also granted the request of parties in the matter to adopt their final addresses on August 21.