Fashakin admits issuing statement against judiciary as tribunal reserves judgment in CPC's application

After weeks ofgrandstanding,the national publicity secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mr Rotimi Fashakin, on Thursday, begged the Presidential Election Tribunal sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja after admitting that he was the author of the offensive publication against the tribunal and the judiciary in general.The offensive publication, which called the integrity of the tribunal and judiciary to question, was published by many national dailies, with the tribunal summoning the editor of the Nigerian Tribune, Mr Edward Dickson and reporter, Christian Okeke, to verify the authorship of the publication.It was a sober Fashakin who stood before the tribunal after which his apology through his counsel, Mr Femi Falana, was accepted.Counsel for CPC, Dipo Okpeseyi (SAN), had refused to take Fashakin's brief on the matter, saying that he would not join hands to destroy his primary constituency hence the introduction of Falana into the matter.In attendance at the tribunal were the presidential candidate of the CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) and his running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare.The duo were attending the tribunal for the first time since its commencement.Meanwhile, the tribunal, after all parties in the petition adopted their addresses, reserved judgment in the petition filed by CPC praying it to annul the April 16 presidential election which saw the victory of Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo as president and vice-president respectively.While adopting his address, counsel for INEC, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), asked the court to dismiss CPC's application intoto and the preliminary objection which it filed against his final address.Counsel for CPC, Dipo Okpeseyi, had earlier informed the court that he had filed a preliminary objection against the final address of INEC stating that the electoral body had abandoned its pleadings by calling only three witnesses adding that all the depositions made by witnesses that were not called should be struck out.He, therefore, urged the court to nullify the election.Counsel for Jonathan, Chief Wole Olanipekun while adopting his address, urged the court to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit and substance.After hearing all the parties, Justice Akaahs said that the date for the judgment would be communicated to all the parties.
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