In a ruling on some motions filed by the respondents to the petition, the court held that in the affected paragraphs, the petitioners made allegations of malpractices and irregularities in the conduct of the election, but failed to provide specific details in support of the allegations.
The court said LP failed to supply particulars of what they actually scored before the said reductions, and neither did they supply the polling units where it happened.
“Pleading must set out material facts and particulars. In the instant petition, there was no effort to prove specific allegations, particulars of complaints,” the Tribunal ruled on Wednesday in Abuja. The law is clear that where someone alleges irregularities in a particular polling unit, such person must prove the particular irregularities in that polling unit before that petition can succeed, the Tribunal added. According to the Tribunal, the petitioners did not prove the particular polling units where the election did not take place nor did they specify particulars of polling units where there are alleged complainants of irregularities. “It was only in one instance that figures were given of alleged suppressed votes and we all know that elections are about figures,” it maintained. LP had alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reduced their scores and added it to All Progressives Congress (APC)’s votes. But the court said LP failed to supply particulars of what they actually scored before the said reductions, neither did they supply the polling units where it happened.
