It appears all is not going well in the newly constituted Supreme Court Presidential Election Petition Panel as three of the judges on the panel have reportedly recused themselves from the appointment.
The judges are Justices Musa Dattijo Muhammad, I.N. Saulawa, and Helen M. Ogunwumiju.
The panel was initially made up of seven members who are to sit on the appeals filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi.
The members of the panel are Justices Musa Dattijo Muhammad, Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Lawal Garba, Helen M. Ogunwumiju, I.N. Saulawa, Tijjani Abubakar and Emmanuel Agim,
According to reports, Justice Dattijo claimed he recused himself because he will retire on Monday this week.
Justice Saulawa followed suit and pulled himself from the panel for some undisclosed reasons, while Justice Ogunwunmiju also recused herself for reasons best known to her.
Five of the eleven Justices in the apex court have either pulled out or recused themselves, given the latest development.
The five Justices are as follows:
Ariwola,
Kekere Ekun,
Saulawa,
Ogunwunmiju, and,
Datijo.
Meanwhile, according to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), seven Justices are needed for the PEPT appeal.
A source who preferred anonymity claimed that the Supreme Court Justices Panel for the PEPT appeal will be reconstituted tomorrow.
Another source who is close to the apex court was quoted to have said the latest development may not be unconnected to rumours that the chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), Justice Haruna Tsammani is currently in a wheelchair and is suffering from an enlarged prostate.
Rumours have it that Justice Tsammani returned from Paris unable to fix the enlarged prostrate, is presently in a wheelchair, and cannot walk.
