Presidential Election Tribunal Grants CPC Spokesperson 7-Days To Find "Offensive" Press Statement

The presidential elections tribunal sitting in Abuja today granted Rotimi Fashakin, the national publicity Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) 7 days to find a press release the court regarded as offensive.

Apparently backing away from its frivolous subpoena of the CPC spokesperson the court eerily granted the request.

After a series of controversial reversal of its rulings regarding subpoena of Independent National Election tribunal chairman, Attahiru Jega, and INEC's central database of voters, the tribunal cited Fashakin and some newspaper reporters at the Nigerian Tribune for contempt of court.

the reporters had carried a press statement where the CPC spokesperson raised alarm over the conduct of the tribunal regarding its antics. The newspaper reporters goaded by their publishers "apologized" to the tribunal a few days ago.

Mr. Fashakin came to court with his bag packed in case the court decides to send him to prison for contempt.

As soon as proceedings began, the presiding judge subsequently asked him the court clerk to show him the "offensive" statement and asked if he did author it.

"But Fashakin asked for seven days to check through his mails and to confirm it was what he issued also seek legal representation,", according to Gen. Muhamamdu Buhari's spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin

The "offensive" press statement:
The Bizarre Election Petition Tribunal’s Ruling on Jega!

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has noted with unmistakable sadness the un-interrupted descent of the Nation’s Judiciary to the Abyss. The Trajectory of the conduct of the on-going Presidential Election Petition after the illegal removal of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, further reinforces the belief that this may just have been a decided charade.

The Tribunal had earlier given a subpoena order for the Chairman of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, to appear before it on Tuesday, 20th September, 2011 at 9am. Among the Nineteen documents expected from the INEC Chairman with his Court appearance are:

1. National Biometric Data Bank containing the National Register of Voters;

2. A Certified True Copy of the Independent National Electoral Commission Manual used in the conduct of the General Election of 2011;

3. Certified True Copy (Hard Copy ) and electronic copy of voters register used in the presidential election evidencing accreditation of the registered voters in all polling units of the Federation;

4. Certified True Copies of all Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D and EC8E used for the conduct of the Presidential Elections held on the 16th April, 2011 evidencing the returns of the result declared at the Polling Units, Wards, Local Government Areas, State and Federal Constituency declaration respectively.