The Presidential Election Petitions tribunal on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Movement and its candidate, Pastor Aminchi Habu, challenging Muhammadu Buhari’s victory in the February 23 presidential poll.
This followed an application by lawyer for the petitioners, Aliyu Lemu, for the withdrawal of the petition.
Lemu informed the five-man tribunal, headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, that his clients instructed him to withdraw the petition.
The development came barely a week after the tribunal asked the petitioners to open their case by tendering their exhibits and calling their witnesses on Wednesday.
The respondents are the Independent National Electoral Commission, Buhari and the All Progressives Congress.
Yunus Usman (SAN) is lawyer for INEC, Yusuf Ali (SAN) stands for Buhari while Funke Adekoya (SAN) is the APC’s representative.
However, the trio did not oppose the application for the withdrawal of the petition.
In a unanimous ruling of the tribunal, Justice Garba said, “We find it expedient to grant this application as prayed.
“It is granted. And leave is granted to the petitioners to withdraw this petition from the court.”
The tribunal went on to dismiss the petition.
The petitioners had sought the nullification of the presidential poll on the grounds that they were wrongfully excluded from the exercise by INEC.
Habu said he agreed with his party’s decision to withdraw the petition because “we have found other alternative ways of seeking redress for the complaints alleged in our petition”.
He added, “It will be best to withdraw our petition in the circumstance to decongest the docket of this honourable court and save precious judicial time and to prevent the respondents from any unnecessary expense of defending this petition.”
tribunal challenging Buhari’s victory have been reduced to two.
The remaining petitions are the ones filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and Hope Democratic Party.
The withdrawal of the PDM’s petition came barely a week after Habu opposed the move by the National Chairman of the PDM, Chief Frank Igwebuike, to withdraw the party from the petition.
Habu’s opposition to the move was upheld by the tribunal, which dismissed the application for the withdrawal in a ruling delivered on July 18.
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