Voice Air Media News Update

THE Chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, has dismissed the application for live coverage of court proceedings.

At the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) sitting in Abuja on Monday, the justice said the application by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) lacked merit.

The court held that no regulatory framework or policy direction, permitted it to grant such application.

It held that allowing cameras in the court room is a major judicial policy that must be supported by the law.

“The court can only be guided and act in accordance with the practice directions and procedures approved by the President of the Court of Appeal.

“We cannot permit a situation that may lead to dramatization of our proceedings,” Justice Tsammani held.

Besides, the court held that the request was not part of any relief in the petitions before it, saying it was merely hinged on sentimental claim that it would benefit the electorates.

It maintained that the petitioners failed to establish how televising the proceedings would advance their case, adding that such live broadcast would not have any utilitarian value to add to the determination of the petitions.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, had filed an application on May 8 for an order to allow the live coverage of the daily court proceedings on the case they brought against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, following the February 25 election.

The Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, followed suit with a similar application asking that proceedings of the tribunal be televised.

However, a week later, Tinubu opposed the application for a live broadcast of the proceedings of the election petition, describing it as an abuse of court process.