The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the February 23, 2019 Nigerian presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on March 5, 2019 in the capital, Abuja, commenced legal processes to challenge the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC party at the poll. PDP leaders also submitted a petition to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, protesting against alleged cases of infractions and deliberate violation of the electoral law and guidelines during the presidential poll.

Thisday newspaper said Atiku filed an ex-parte motion at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking an order to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow his agents to inspect the voter register and other vital documents used in last month’s vote.

Respondents in the motion include INEC, President Buhari and the APC. Filed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Chief Chris Uche, the motion prays the Appeal Court to compel the electoral body to allow APC to scan and make photocopies of vital documents used in the last presidential election to prove its case at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

The application is supported by a 12-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Retired Col. Austin Akobundu, Director of Contact and Mobilisation for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council. Atiku and the PDP claim that they won the presidential election but were short-changed by INEC during the collation and announcement of results.

No date has been fixed to hear the motion. Meanwhile, at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, which is venue of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, a functional registry and secretariat have been opened to receive petitions from aggrieved presidential candidates against last month’s election.