Buhari: Court delivers judgment in HDP’s petition after dismissing it

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) is currently delivering judgment on the petition by the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), challenging the outcome of the last presidential election.


Although the court had, in three rulings earlier on Thursday, dismissed/struck out the petition, having upheld the preliminary objections by the respondents, said it was required by the Constitution, to still proceed and determine the petition on the merit.


“The rulings earlier delivered ought to have ended this petition, but the amendment to the Constitution required that the court, being a court of first instance, must determine the petition on the merit,” the court’s Presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Garba said.


He is currently reading the lead judgment.


The court had, while dismissing/striking out the petition in the earlier rulings, held that not only did it (the court) lacked jurisdiction to hear the petition, because it talked about referendum, the prayers in the petition are similar to what the petitioners sought in their pending cases before the Federal High Court on the same issues.


HDP and its presidential candidate, Andrew Owuru are contending that they be declared winners on the grounds that they won a referendum purportedly conducted on February 16, 2019, earlier scheduled for the presidential election, which INEC shifted to February 23, 2019.


Details shotly.