The Supreme Court? yesterday fixed Thursday to commence? hearing? in an appeal lodged by the Congress for Progressive Change? (CPC) against the November 1 judgment of the Presidentials Election Petition Tribunal, which affirmed the electoral victory of President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the April presidential poll.
Yesterday was the last day mandated by the Electoral Act, 2010 for any party going on appeal against the decision of the appeal court to do so.
A? lawyer to the CPC, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN),? had confirmed to? LEADERSHIP that his client had been served with a hearing from the apex court and that the final legal fireworks would begin on Thursday.
But the CPC on November 11 filed? notice of appeal? at the registry of the Court of Appeal, while? on November? 28, filed its? appellant brief of argument? where it argued that the trial tribunal erred in law when it rejected documents it tendered to prove multiple thumb printing, non-distribution of electoral materials, and other alleged infractions of the electoal process.
The party is asking the apex court to give an order directing the President of the Court of Appeal to direct another panel to? retry the suit.
The CPC said the panel of justices erred in law when they lumped together evidence of respondents’ witnesses, who they acknowledged as different sets of respondents and thereby occasioned miscarriage of justice.