On Wednesday, the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, tendered the final results for all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as evidence at the Presidential Election Petition Court.
The national document, known as Form EC8D(a), was presented by Paul Annanaba, SAN, on behalf of the party and Obi in support of their petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 elections, which declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The respondents in the suit are INEC, Tinubu, Vice-President Kassim Shettima, and the APC. On Wednesday, the legal representatives for the respondents agreed to the presentation of the national election results for all states and the FCT. With no objections from the respondents, the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, admitted the national document as evidence in Obi’s petition.
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In addition, the petitioners also presented Form EC8Cs from 13 states as evidence against Tinubu’s victory. These forms, used for collating election results at the local government level, contained results from Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Edo, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Ekiti, and Delta.
The respondents objected to the admissibility of the Form EC8Cs and stated that they would explain the reasons for their objections in their final written addresses. However, the court admitted the forms as evidence and marked them as exhibits.
The court subsequently adjourned further hearings on the petition to Thursday, June 8, 2023.
Objection to PDP’s Subpoenaed Witness
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, called their first subpoenaed witness at the Presidential Election Petition Court on Wednesday. The witness, an ad hoc employee of INEC, was set to testify in support of the PDP’s challenge to the presidential election outcome.
However, the counsel representing the respondents—INEC, Tinubu, and the APC—objected to taking the witness’s testimony.
INEC’s counsel, A.B. Mahmoud, SAN, informed the court that he had only received the witness’s statement that morning and required time to study it for thorough cross-examination. Tinubu’s lawyer, Akin Olujimi SAN, and the APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, shared the same view and opposed proceeding with the witness.
In response, the PDP’s counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, argued that there was nothing extraordinary in the witness’s statement to warrant an adjournment. Uche requested that at least one of the subpoenaed witnesses be allowed to testify within their allotted time.
Justice Tsammani proposed a 30-minute recess to allow the respondents to examine the documents and cross-examine the witness. However, INEC’s counsel insisted that the witness could not testify on Wednesday, as he needed to review INEC’s records for proper preparation.
Following the respondents’ assertions, Uche requested an adjournment until Thursday, June 8, to call the three subpoenaed witnesses.
Earlier in the proceedings, the PDP and Atiku presented their 11th witness, Ndubuisi Nwobu, the PDP chairman in Anambra, who testified before the court. During cross-examination by APC’s counsel, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, Nwobu stated that the results weredisputed at lower levels before reaching the state level.
He explained that they collated the results because they had no other alternatives. When asked if he included this information in his witness statement, Nwobu responded that it was not possible to document every detail in the statement.
The court announced that the hearing in the PDP and Atiku’s petition would continue on Thursday, June 8, 2023.The presentation of the final election results by the Labour Party and the ongoing testimonies in the PDP’s petition against the presidential election outcome highlight the intense legal battle surrounding the contested results.
As the proceedings unfold, both parties are determined to present their arguments and evidence to support their claims of irregularities and seek a favorable outcome.The outcome of the Presidential Election Petition Court’s deliberations will have significant implications for the credibility of the electoral process and the legitimacy of the election results.
The court’s decision will shape the political landscape and potentially impact the governance of the nation going forward.All eyes are now on the court as it carefully evaluates the evidence presented and listens to the testimonies of witnesses.
The legal teams representing the petitioners and respondents will vigorously argue their cases, striving to persuade the court with their compelling arguments.As the proceedings continue, the nation eagerly awaits the court’s verdict, which will ultimately determine whether the presidential election results will stand or if a different outcome will be declared.
The Nigerian people hope for a fair and just resolution that upholds the principles of democracy and ensures the integrity of the electoral process.
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