Lawyers Caught Napping At Presidential Election Tribunal
The ongoing proceedings of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Nigeria have been marred by a lack of professionalism and decorum, as some lawyers representing the parties involved were seen sleeping during the hearing.
The tribunal, which is presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani, Justice Stephen Adah, Justice Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf, Justice Moses Ugo and Justice Abba Mohammed, is hearing the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 2023 election.
According to eyewitnesses, some of the lawyers who were supposed to be paying attention to the arguments and evidence presented by the witnesses and counsel were caught dozing off on their seats, oblivious to the proceedings. Some of them even snored loudly, causing distraction and annoyance to others.
The sleeping lawyers were not only from the PDP, LP or the APC, but also from other parties that joined the petition as respondents, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
