Tribunal: Why Atiku’s application for live coverage must be rejected – Tinubu

President–elect, Bola Tinubu, has said the live broadcast of the Presidential Election Tribunal is an abuse of the court process.

Reacting to an application filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Tinubu urged the tribunal to discountenance such a move.

He prayed the court to refuse the application on the grounds that “the court is not a rostrum or a soapbox and not also a stadium or theatre. It is not an arena for ‘public’ entertainment.”

In a counter-affidavit filed by his counsel, Wole Olanipekun, the President-elect argued that the application was not within the tribunal’s jurisdiction.

He stressed that the issue Atiku raised touched on policy formulation.

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“The application also touches on the powers and jurisdiction invested in the President of the Court of Appeal by the Constitution, over which this honourable court as presently constituted cannot entertain.

“The application touches on the administrative functions, which are exclusively reserved for the President of the Court of Appeal. The application is aimed at dissipating the precious judicial time of this honourable court.

“The said application does not have any bearing with the petition filed by the petitioners before this honourable court. It is in the interest of justice for this honourable court to dismiss the said application filed by the petitioners,” he said.