The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party had on Wednesday, stalled the pre-hearing petition of the Presidential candidate of the Party, Peter Obi, against the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the tribunal.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, had earlier, last week, adjourned, the pre-hearing of Obi’s Petition against Tinubu, to Wednesday, May 17.
However, the tribunal again, on Wednesday adjourned to Friday, May 19, for a continuation of the pre-hearing in the petition by Peter Obi and his party.
The court, headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani, fixed the date after the failure of parties in the petition to agree on documents, among other reasons.
Recall that the Tribunal had last week adjourned the pre-hearing session on Obi and the LP’s petition till May 17 at the instance of the petitioners.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the justices arrived to commence the day’s proceedings and also refused to acknowledge the party’s representatives aside from Obi, because, the LP’s embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure, was in court, and the party’s factional chairman, Lamidi Apapa, was also present, to represent the party, at the proceedings.
However, a mild drama ensued between the two camps of the LP, as they were both claiming to be the party’s representative at the tribunal.
However, the Tribunal refused to take an appearance for the party, as the acting National Chairman of the Lamidi Apapa, and the National Women’s Leader of the party, Dudu Manugu, tried to make an appearance for LP when the petition was called.
Justice Haruna Tsamani however, noted that if two persons are making an appearance for the party, they will not be put on record.
