Tinubu rejects move to consolidate Atiku, Obi petitions

A move by the Presidential Election Petition Court {PEPC} to consolidate the three petitions against the outcome of the February 25 presidential election has been opposed by the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress {APC}.

Tinubu and the APC made their opposition to the move known on Monday at the resumed sitting of the court.

Tinubu, through his team of lawyers led by Chief Akin Olujinmi {SAN}, noted that merging all the petitions would adversely affect his ability to effectively defend all the issues that were raised against him by the petitioners.

“My lords, the issue of justice should be a restraint on the power of this court to exercise its discretion in granting the order for consolidation,” Tinubu pleaded through his lawyer, pointing out that the petitioners did not only raise various issues against him, but equally seeking different reliefs.

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, had disclosed its intention to consolidate all the petitions, adding that it was empowered by Paragraph 50 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act to merge all the petitions and determine them together.

The court, thereafter gave counsel for all the petitioners the permission to consult their clients and report back to it with the outcome of the meeting.

However, at the resumed proceedings on Monday, Tinubu’s lawyer argued that the provision of the Electoral Act the court referred to was not absolute.

“My lords, when the exercise of power is subject to limitation of some conditions, then it cannot be said that the exercise is mandatory.

“There are issues raised in one petition that are not there in others. The issues vary. The same goes for evidential issues that are based on pleadings that have been exchanged by parties in this case.