The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have filed a motion to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to surrender all the materials that were used for the February 23 presidential election, for inspection.
The motion ex-parte was lodged before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, yesterday.
The tribunal will conduct its proceedings at the Court of Appeal Headquarters in Abuja.
In the motion ex-parte dated March 4, Atiku and the PDP, applied for leave of the tribunal to allow them to inspect the Voters Register, the Smart Card Reader Machines, Ballot Papers and other vital documents that were used in the conduct of the presidential election.
They equally prayed the tribunal to compel the electoral body to allow their agents to scan and make photocopies of vital documents used in the conduct of the election, for the purpose of establishing alleged irregularities.
The Applicants, through their lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, told the tribunal that the reliefs sought against INEC was for the purpose of filing and maintaining an election petition they intend to lodge against the outcome of the 2019 Presidential Election.
The motion ex-parte motion was supported with a 12 paragraphed affidavit that was deposed to by the director of Contact and Mobilization of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd).
No date has yet been fixed for hearing of the motion which has INEC, President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), as 1st to 3rd Respondents.
Atiku, who came second behind Buhari of the APC, had earlier vowed to challenge the outcome of the presidential election in court, alleging that it was fraught with manifest irregularities.
He maintained that results collated by agents at various polling units across the federation, was at variance with what was eventually declared by INEC, in favour of Buhari.
Meantime, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Tanimu Turaki, has been released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
A source in the anti-graft agency confirmed this, yesterday.
According to the source, Babalele Abdullahi, who is the son-in-law to the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has also been released.
Turaki, a former minister and the present Deputy Director General (Administration) the PDP Campaign Organisation, was said to have been arrested, last Monday.
On the other hand, Abdullahi, who is the finance director of Atiku’s group of companies, was arrested on Saturday by EFCC operatives who reportedly stormed his residence in Abuja.
Reacting to the arrest in a tweet, last Monday, the PDP candidate said his son-in-law was detained by the EFCC and “paying the price for supporting me”.
He condemned the arrest, and warned that the government’s mandate was to pursue peace and justice for all, and not just those who support it.
Meanwhile, the PDP had claimed that Turaki was arrested and detained after being invited by the EFCC to endorse a bail document for Abdullahi.
The party said that the detention of its chieftain was part of the alleged plot by the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to “use state apparatus of power” to intimidate its leaders.
It, therefore, called on the anti-graft agency to release Turaki immediately and unconditionally.
Following the arrest, the EFCC had said it would make known its reasons for arresting Atiku’s son-in-law “at the appropriate time”.
In its reaction, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), yesterday, said the Monday arrest of the Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), was in continuation of government’s efforts to frustrate efforts by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to approach the presidential election tribunal.
Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties, was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja.
The CUPP, in a statement by its national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, however, described the arrest as politically-motivated.
He wondered why the National Peace Committee that spearheaded the signing of peace agreement ahead of the general elections will remain silent while the government continues to clamp down on opposition leaders.
He said, “The Coalition of United Political Parties is raising alarm once again about the desperate attempt by Muhammadu Buhari and his foot soldiers to by all means frustrate efforts by coalition presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to retrieve his stolen mandate through a peaceful means- the tribunal where he planned to file his case today (yesterday).
“This time, Buhari, through his administration’s heavily biased and partisan, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN.
“The CUPP wishes to condemn the politically-motivated arrest of Turaki by the EFCC, not for any crime but in a failed attempt to derail the completion of processes leading to the filing of the case at the tribunal to retrieve the stolen mandate President Muhammadu Buhari has been parading about.
“The learned Senior Advocate only went to the EFCC office in connection with the signing of bail papers for other Atiku’s associates who are in custody.
“The mode of his arrest and detention clearly shows it was upon a spontaneous realisation that he was a coordinating factor in the expected legal challenge of the rigged presidential election of February 23.
“Inside source within the commission informed us that Mr Turaki is not being questioned by EFCC officials but by a team from the Presidential Villa who are only questioning him about the details of the petition of the PDP.
“They are questioning him on the evidences the PDP has in its possession and the location of the documents/legal secretariat and list of witnesses.
“This is obviously with a view to storming the location, carting away relevant papers and derailing the filing of the papers in the tribunal which must be completed within 21 days from the date of announcement of the election results.
“We, therefore, make bold to say that his arrest at this time was not a mere coincidence but a well-orchestrated plan to ensure that they scuttle the plan to challenge the illegality that happened on February 23 in court by making sure that the suit is not filed within the timeframe allowed by law.
“We have consistently been alerting Nigerians and friends of the country on all steps being taking by this government to stop any legal means to retrieve the mandate it stole on February 23, particularly how millions of naira from tax payers’ money are being doled out to individuals, political parties and groups to continue to mount pressure on Alhaji Atiku to accept ‘defeat.’
“It is noteworthy that all these harassments and intimidations of opposition leaders are going on without a word from the National Peace Committee that midwifed the signing of peace pact ahead of the general elections.
“How can there be peace where the people’s mandate was brazenly stolen? How can there be peace when barriers are consistently being mounted against the victim of executive theft so that he cannot seek redress in court?
“Let this desperate administration that will lose its legitimacy on May 29 know that the eyes of the world are on this country and its illegal actions.”
Ugochinyere urged Nigerians not to be surprised when documents begin to get missing from the registry of the tribunal because, according to him, the President and his men are desperate to protect “their crime proceeds.”
He boasted that every effort by the Buhari administration to stop the retrieval of the stolen mandate will fail.