Two SANs battle in court over appearance for LP’s petition against Tinubu

Senior Advocates of Nigeria Awa Kalu and Oba Maduabuchi were locked in a courtroom battle on Friday over the right to represent the Labour Party (LP) in the petition challenging Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the last presidential election.

At Friday’s proceedings, Awa Kalu had announced his appearance for Peter Gregory Obi and the Labour Party as first and second petitioners at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).

He also announced several others as members of the legal team that would prosecute the petition for Obi and his party.

However, before Kalu could take his seat, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oba Maduabuchi, got up and announced his appearance as counsel for the Labour Party in the matter.

In the drama that ensued, Oba Maduabuchi insisted that he was legally briefed by the party as counsel that would present the party’s case against Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The intervention of the chairman of the court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, prevailed on them to allow the proceedings to go unhindered.

Following his intervention, Oba Maduabuchi stepped down, leaving Awa Kalu to handle the day’s proceedings.

The Labour Party has been embroiled in a leadership crisis, leading to the emergence of two factions, one led by the suspended National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, and another controlled by the Deputy National Chairman of the party in the South, Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa.

Before the drama between the two senior lawyers, Peter Obi had saved the leadership crisis when he announced his representation for himself and the party.

Obi’s decision prevented a clash between the party’s two factions.

Meanwhile, the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has reserved a ruling until Monday on the application by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) for live streaming of the proceedings of the court.

Justice Tsammani announced this after lawyers for the parties adopted their various processes.

Awa Kalu, counsel for Obi and the Labour Party, urged the court to grant the application in the interest of the public.

Abubakar Mahmoud, for INEC, Wole Olanipekun, for Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, and Adeniyi Akintola, for the All Progressives Congress, moved their various counter affidavits and prayed the court to reject the application for being without merit and constituting a distraction to the court.

The court has adjourned until Saturday for further pre-hearing sessions in the petition.

(Daily Post)