Bulkachuwa appoints Justice Garba as replacement on Presidential Election Petition Tribunal

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, has appointed Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba as her replacement on the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which commenced sitting on Monday.

National Daily learned that Garuba, the Presiding Justice of the Lagos Division, appeared at the sitting of a five-man panel as the new Chairman of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

Bulkachuwa had withdrawn from the panel on May 22 in response to allegation of likelihood of bias levelled against her by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate in the February 23 presidential election.

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The petitioners are challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.

It was gathered that Justice Lawal Garba in his welcome address, indicated that he intends to make a call over of the petitions to enable the tribunal to schedule them for hearing because he is just joining the panel.

He solicited the cooperation of the parties, noting that the case is time bound and the time is already halfway, adding that there is need to prudently ensure the cases are heard. He promised do everything to expeditiously hear the petitions in line with the laid down laws.