As the Presidential Election Petition Court starts hearing today, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have filed an application for an order to allow live coverage of day-to-day proceedings on the case they brought against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
The party and Atiku had filed a petition challenging the victory of Bola Tinubu as president-elect after the presidential elections held in February.
The former Vice President and Peter Obi of Labour Party will go head-to-head with the President-elect and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and to challenge his victory.
Atiku, in a motion filed by his legal team led by Chris Uche {SAN}, specifically applied for “An order directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the courtroom.”
According to the PDP candidate, the petition before the PEPC was a matter of national concern and public interest, arguing that the case involved citizens and electorates in the 36 states of the Federation who participated in the just concluded presidential polls, while adding that the international community is interested in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“With the huge and tremendous technological advances and developments in Nigeria and beyond, including the current trend by this court towards embracing electronic procedures, virtual hearing and electronic filing, a departure from the rules to allow a regulated televising of the proceedings in this matter is in consonance with the maxim that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.
“Televising court proceedings is not alien to this court, and will enhance public confidence”, the petitioners noted.