The Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has petitioned the Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) to allow a live broadcast of the proceedings of the Court regarding his petition.
In their application that was submitted to the Tribunal on May 5th, Atiku and the PDP specifically prayed for “An order directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their equipment into the courtroom.”
The application that was filed on their behalf by their team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN was predicated on, amongst other grounds, the fact that the matter before the Honourable Court is a dispute over the outcome of the Presidential Election held on 25th February 2023, a matter of national concern and public interest, involving citizens and voters in the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, who voted and participated in the said election; and the Independent National Electoral Commission
They argued that because it was a one-of-a-kind electoral dispute with a one-of-a-kind constitutional dimension, it was a matter of public interest, and that millions of Nigerian citizens and voters had a constitutional right to receive information about it.
“The Court has the discretion to allow the public access to proceedings either physically or through electronic means. This is an essential component of the Court’s constitutional duty to hold proceedings in public, which requires the Court to hold proceedings in public.
“With the huge and tremendous technological advances and developments in Nigeria and beyond, including the current trend by this Honourable 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 also be seen to be done. This is in accordance with the maxim that justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done.”
