Nigeria’s main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate in the February 23 election, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday told the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that they had agreed to cut down to 10 days the 14 days period the law prescribes for them to call their witnesses in proving the petition to 10 days.
The respondents to the petition – Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – also agreed to reduce to six the 10 days period which they are entitled to by law.
Atiku and PDP are challenging the victory of Buhari and the APC at the February 23 poll.
Lead counsel to the petitioners, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), had earlier on Monday informed the Justice Mohammed Garba-led tribunal that his team had proposed to call 400 witnesses to prove the petitioners’ case, but would make do with the number of the witnesses they would be able to call within the period prescribed by law.
The Justice Mohammed Garba-led five-man tribunal said the 14 days period is prescribed under paragraph 16(3) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.
Lawyers representing all the parties to the case then requested a stand-down for 30 minutes to agree on some common grounds ahead of the substantive hearing of the petition
