The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday summoned the European Union Observer Groups (EUOG), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) over the April 21 election.
Other bodies summoned by the Tribunal are African Independent Television (AIT), Channels Television, Alliance for Credible Election (ACE) and Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC).
They were all summoned at the instance of the Action Congress Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to tender some documents relating to the conduct and results of the polls.
The three television outfits were ordered to respectively provide the master video tapes recording of the collation and the declaration of the pre-election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The other four groups were respectively ordered to provide “duly certified copies of the interim and final reports by those who monitored and observed” the elections on their behalf.
They were also asked to respectively make available the letter of accreditation issued by INEC to their members who monitored the polls.
Atiku filed the petition challenging the conduct, the results of the polls and the returns of Yar’Adua and his Vice, Jonathan Goodluck by INEC. He alleged that he was duly nominated by his party to contest, but was unlawfully excluded from the elections.
The petitioner also alleged that the declared winners were not qualified ab-initio and that the entire process was marred by rigging, violence and malpractice.
He also alleged that the police and the army were deployed illegally to manipulate the polls in favour of PDP.
He sought the order of the Tribunal nullifying the polls and the returns of the declared winners.
Oct162007