The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar and his vice, Peter Obi, have written the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, over the delay in naming her replacement in the election tribunal.
Recall that the PDP and Atiku, had challenged the inclusion of Bulkachuwa in the five-man panel constituted to hear their petition on the ground of likelihood of bias, being a wife and mother to card carrying members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which is a party in their suit.
They therefore asked that she be recused from sitting on the panel.
Though they lost the motion on legal grounds, Bulkachuwa, however, recused herself on personal grounds.
The PDP and Atiku are challenging the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the February 23 Presidential poll.
In the letter dated May 31, signed by Silas Joseph Onu, Atiku and Obi reminded Justice Bulkachuwa of her promise to name her replacement while recusing herself from the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal panel on May 22.
The letter read: “I am one of the counsel in the legal team prosecuting the above petition on behalf of the petitioners.
“l have the authority of the lead counsel, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN) to write this letter.
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“My Lord will recall that on 22nd May 2019, the above mentioned petition came up for a motion requesting my Lord to recuse herself from further presiding or participating in this petition.
“At the end of the proceedings, my Lord graciously recused herself on personal grounds and promised to appoint another Justice to continue with the petition.
“My Lord, it is 9 (nine) days since the date my Lord recused herself and nothing has been heard regarding the replacement that was to be made thereafter.
“Considering the strict requirement of keeping to the constitutional calendar for a petition and the obvious fact that time is also running fast against the petitioners, we pray my Lord to act timeously in appointing a replacement so that we will get a hearing notice and continue with the petition in the interest of justice.”
