Presidential election tribunal: Protesting women invade court premises on Atiku’s behalf

Some women in Abuja on Wednesday protested the alleged failure
of the Independent National Electoral Commission to obey the order
of the Court of Appeal in Abuja permitting the Peoples Democratic
Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to inspect
the materials used for the February 23 poll.

The women, numbering up to 40, held their protest on the
premises of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal venue of the
Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which held its inaugural
sitting on Wednesday.

The protest continued until sitting ended at about 1.20pm.

A three-man bench of the Court of Appeal had, since March 7,
granted the petitioners (Atiku and PDP) the go-ahead to inspect the
electoral materials in the custody of the Independent National
Electoral Commission.

Atiku and his party subsequently filed their petition on March
1‎8.‎

The placard-bearing protesters claimed that INEC had yet to obey
the March 7 order as of Wednesday (today).

The women protesters chanted, among others, “Bring back our
democracy. People are dying. We can no longer go to our farms.
Lawyers, bring back our democracy.”

Some of the banners they held bore inscriptions like, ‘The
presidential election is a charade for APC; declare Atiku winner;”
“#Bring Back Our Mandate 2019#” and “INEC obey court order and
release election materials as ordered by the court to Atiku and
PDP.”

There are a total of four petitions to be heard by the
tribunal.

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