…As plans are being perfected to induce judges with dollars
Few days to the commencement of sitting of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, there are palpable fears on the possible direction and decision of how the tribunal may swing.
This is owing to the introduction of new and disturbing petitions and counter petitions pending before the tribunal.
This was as it was gathered that a litigant disturbed about how the pendulum of verdict would swing at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, is reportedly assembling, among other weapons, a huge financial inducement that may be used to change the tide and direction of thought of the judicial officers in their determination of the petitions.
The hiccup for now is the fear of not knowing the disposition of the Justices that are to sit on the panel to accepting such humongous amount of money that would not be traced and also the fear that it could backfire if the tribunal members rebuff the approach which could toughen their stance and thereby force a needle scrutiny of the processes.
This is coming against the backdrop of the fact that adjudications at election tribunals have always been fraught with allegations of bribery, even though there had been no proven or recorded case.
As the Court of Appeal that sits as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal prepares to inaugurate the panel of justices, an informed source close to one of the litigants said that a budget has already been drawn with the view to possibly induce the judges.
The source said; “It is so mouth-watering. At the Tribunal, $5 million has been planned for each of the panelists, while $20 million has been budgeted for each member at the appeal. In fact, what happened last year during the primaries at the Eagle Square will be a child’s play”.
At the end of the constitutionally allowed time for filing of petitions at the tribunal, only five political parties and their candidates had challenged the decision of the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led Independent National Electoral Commission to declare the All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the election.
Besides the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, that of the Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Action Peoples Party (APP) and their candidates also filed petitions.
The Tribunal has 180 days to hear and give its verdict, while the appeal at the Supreme Court must not exceed 60 days, giving no possible hope of concluding all litigations before the May 29, inauguration of a new government.
