Malachy Uzendu
19 July 2007
The lingering feud in the leadership of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) may have worsened as the party and its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), are now pursuing separate petitions at the Presidential Election Tribunal.
Buhari, the presidential candidate of the party in the April 21, 2007 presidential election is challenging the declaration of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, as winner in the election.
The party and its candidate had filed a single petition in the tribunal but the crisis in the party has torn them apart.
The point of departure was the decision of the ANPP's leadership to participate in the Government of National Unity (GNU) proposed by President Yar'Adua, a position vehemently opposed by Buhari.
At the pre-hearing conference held by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja yesterday both Buhari and his party made it very clear to the tribunal that they were pursuing different petitions.
The national chairman of the party and running-mate to Buhari, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, who refused to acknowledge the presence of Buhari when he came into the court, told journalists that the party decided to file a separate petition because Buhari was undecided on whether or not to go to the tribunal after he lost the election.
When asked why they had not consolidated the petitions, he explained that such move would be possible if the motives of the two parties were same, pointing out that the party leadership was all out to make sure that the nation did not drift into anarchy because of the election.
On why he shunned Buhari, the ANPP leader said that he could not afford to exchange pleasantries with Buhari, because some people came to inform him that Buhari's petition was being heard and "I had to practically run to the court, because that is why I was here in the first place", he said.
At the pre-hearing session, lead counsel to President Yar'Adua and Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) asked the tribunal to set aside the service of the petition of both Buhari and his party.
He also asked for an order directing the petitioners to effect fresh service of the petition on his clients.
He pointed out that the order of substituted service granted the petitioners by the tribunal was wrongly executed, with the said petition reportedly dumped on the table of the confidential secretary to the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), instead of it being served on the National Secretary of the party as directed by the tribunal.
Olanipekun added that his clients got to know through newspaper reports on July 10, 2007, that a pre-trial session of the petition had been fixed for yesterday and today, 18th and 19th July, 2007.
While the ANPP did not object to the application, with the tribunal granting it, Buhari's counsel, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), kicked against the request, arguing that it was being made out of time.
He said that he would prefer to have the tribunal rule on whether the respondents were properly served, since it was an election matter.
The tribunal adjourned ruling on the application to July 30, 2007.
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