The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) in the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku on Friday questioned the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and told the Presidential Election Petitions Court matter – of – factly, that INEC is a meddlesome interloper in its defence of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on his qualifications for the election.

Alhaji Abubakar specifically accused the electoral body of being a busy body and “fishing in another person’s troubled water”.

INEC through its counsel at Friday’s proceedings, Mr Kemi Pinhero, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN ) had moved a motion on notice praying the Court to strike out some of the allegations made against Senator Tinubu by the PDP Presidential candidate in his petition.

The electoral body urged the Court to strike out 32 allegations made against Senator Tinubu by Alhaji Abubakar in the petition challenging the declaration of APC candidate as the winner of the February 25 Presidential election.

INEC said that the allegations which formed 32 paragraphs in the Alhaji Abubakar’s petition should be discountenanced by the Court for various reasons comprising lack of jurisdiction.

But Alhaji Abubakar through his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN) filed counter affidavit in opposition to INEC’s request and asked the Court to dismiss the electoral body’s position.

Chief Uche argued in the counter affidavit that it was not the duty of INEC to do the battle or argue the case of Senator Tinubu who is the 2nd defendant in the petition.

Specifically, Alhaji Abubakar’s lead counsel insisted that INEC ought to be neutral but somersaulted by turning itself to a busy body and a meddlesome interloper by taking up the defense of Senator Tinubu against the provisions of the law.

He, therefore, asked the Court to dismiss INEC’S motion for being gross abuse of court process, lacking in merit and grossly incompetent.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani has fixed ruling till the date of judgment in the substantive petition.