SAN FRANCISCO, June 26, (THEWILL) – A faction of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), on Tuesday, disowned the petition filed by its presidential candidate, Ambrose Albert Owuru and the party against the election of President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The faction of the party led by Poland Tampre, at the resumed hearing of the petitions on Tuesday, announced that its presidential candidate was never authorised or mandated to file any petition against the February 23 presidential election.
Tapre, who brought a motion to disown the petition of the presidential candidate, prayed the tribunal to strike out the name of the party from the petition and filed a motion asking the tribunal to strike out the petition filed by Oworu and his faction on the grounds that it is strange to his faction of the party.
In the motion, which has three exhibits, the faction claimed that Owuru did not consult with the party leadership before using the name of the party as the second petitioner against the election of President Buhari.
However Owuru vehemently opposed the attempt to scuttle his petition with a counter affidavit of six paragraphs deposed to by one Auwal Abdullahi, who claimed to be national financial secretary of the party.
He said the bid to remove the party’s name from his petition is a “gang up” against his petition and urged the tribunal to ignore the purported factional chairman.
Owuru’s counsel, Chukwunonyerem Njokwu, in the counter affidavit described the factional chairman as an impostor who is not known to the party in any capacity.
