The Presidential Election Petition Court on Monday dismissed the application seeking to allow the live telecast of the ongoing election petitions proceedings.
The five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani dismissed the request made by parties and candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party as lacking in merit and rejected it.
On their part, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), for INEC, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), for Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettma, and Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), for the APC, had in their various counter-affidavits, prayed the court to reject the application for being without merit and constituting a distraction to the court.
However, the court held that allowing cameras in the courtroom is a major judicial policy that must be supported by the law.
However, according to the ruling, no regulatory framework or policy direction permitted it to grant the application.
“The court can only be guided and act in accordance with the practice directions and procedures approved by the President of the Court of Appeal.
“We cannot permit a situation that may lead to dramatization of our proceedings,” Justice Tsammani said.
Furthermore, the court held that the request was not part of any relief sought by the petitioners and had no bearing on it.
