Tight Security As Presidential Election Petition Court Delivers Judgment

Tight Security As Presidential Election Petition Court Delivers Judgment

The Court of Appeal Complex located in the Three Arms Zone, Shehu Shagari Way, Central Business District of Abuja, blocked as the Presidential Election Petition Court gets set to deliver judgment.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the judgment is in three cases challenging the outcome of the Feb.25 presidential election.

Recall, past month, the court heard the closing arguments of parties to the petitions and about two weeks to the expiration of the statutory 180-day lifespans within which the cases filed in March must be heard and determined.

The five-member panel of the court headed by Haruna Tsammani had reserved judgements on the petitions after hearing the closing arguments of the parties to the cases in early August.

NAN reports that all roads leading to the Court of Appeal complex are being manned by multiple security operatives, drawn from various arms, including the armed forces, police, men of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Civil Defence.

The same formation has been placed within the court complex.

The Chief Registrar of the Court, Mr Umar Bangari, in a statement on Monday, said that everything had been put in place to ensure that the judgment in the three petitions pending before the court were delivered hitch free.

Bangari said adequate security had been put in place and that only the invited members of political parties and the general public would be allowed into the courtroom. This he said was to avoid congestion and security breaches.

He also said that media houses that wish to televise the judgment live would be allowed to do so but at no cost to the court.

Major government buildings, including the Federal Secretariat, the National Assembly Complex and the access into the Presidential Villa were being manned by heavy security personnel.

As at 7.30 am, lawyers and journalists were being checked by security operatives, NAN reports.