The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, and his party Tuesday approached the Appeal Court, sitting in Abuja, with a exparte motion to challenge the outcome of the election.
The application, which prays for an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow them Inspect the register and other vital documents used in the conduct of the election, has INEC, President Mohammed Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the respondents.
In the exparte motion, dated March 4 and filed March 5, Atiku and the PDP applied that the apellate court serving as the presidential election petition tribunal to compel the electoral body to allow their agents to scan and make photocopies of vital documents used in the last presidential election for the purpose of maintaining their petition against the election.The exparte application filed by Chris Uche (SAN), specifically said that the order requested against INEC is for the purpose of “filing and maintaining election petition” before the tribunal.
The exparte motion cited by BusinessDay is supported with a 12 paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Colonel Austin Akobundu (retd.), Director of Contact and Mobilization for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council.
The electoral umpire had declared Buhari as winner of the election last Tuesday. Atiku has since then cried foul, alleging the election was massively rigged against him. He has vowed to challenge the outcome and process of the election in court.
