News
2011
Presidential Election: Declare Buhari Winner, CPC Tells
Tribunal
The
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Thursday urged the
Presidential Election Tribunal sitting at the premises of the
Court of Appeal to declare its Presidential candidate, General
Muhammadu Buhari winner of the April 2011 Presidential Election.
The
CPC in an application for judgement against the Peoples
Democratic Party and its Presidential candidate, President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan accused the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP of frustrating its
efforts to examine ballots and other materials used for the said
election as ordered by the tribunal on May 24, 2011. It said
both parties did not allow it access to the data that would have
helped it prove its petition before the tribunal, even though
the party was ready to inspect the materials in various states
where the records are.
“That 1st and 2nd Respondents INEC and its Chairman denied the
Petitioner’s request by failing to make copies of the requested
election materials available to the Applicant and the Applicant
was as a result forced to file an application dated the 15th
May, 2011 for an order directing the 1st and 2nd Respondents to
produce for the inspection of the Applicants and permitting it
to take copies of the election material used in the conduct of
the election.
“That this Honourable Court had on the 24th day of May, 2011
granted an order pursuant to the application referred to in
paragraph 2 above in the following terms:
“An
order that INEC shall grant the Petitioner and any other party
in the petition their counsel agents or experts access to the
biometric Data Base created by the DDC machines for register of
voters, used at the Presidential Election held on 16th April,
2011.
“INEC shall give notice to parties as to time, date and place
for such exercise provided that the absence of a party duly
notified shall not delay such exercise,” the CPC wrote in the
application for judgement.
The
party further said its application for judgement was brought
pursuant to Paragraph 18 of the 1st Schedule of the Electoral
Act 2010 and Section 149 (d) of the Evidence Act.
Recall that the party had approached the tribunal seeking a
declaration that President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President
Namadi Sambo, both of the PDP, were not duly elected in the said
election.
The
petitioner had prayed the tribunal to nullify the results of the
Presidential election in Kaduna, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Kwara,
Adamawa, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Cross River, Rivers, Ebonyi,
Bayelsa, Delta, Imo Anambra, Benue, Lagos, Plateau states and
the FCT – states where the PDP recorded an impressive win in the
election.
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