Atiku, Obi fail to present 110 witnesses against Tinubu, close cases

Presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, on Friday closed their cases against the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 election at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).

However, both Atiku and Obi failed to present 110 witnesses representing 30 per cent of the 150 witnesses they lined up for their cases.

They were given 21 days to prove their cases against the respondents before the court.

Atiku and PDP closed their case after calling 27 out of the 100 witnesses they had said they would call to give evidence in support of their joint petition challenging the outcome of the presidential election.

Obi and LP told the court that they would call 50 witnesses to prove their case, but as they were closing on Friday, they called only 13 witnesses.

In all, Atiku and Obi presented 40 witnesses as against 150 they lined up.

Atiku’s witnesses included expert witnesses such as forensic analysts, star witnesses and subpoenaed witnesses mostly Presiding Officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The petitioners’ tendered their last batch of documents through their 27th witness, Mr. Mike Enahoro-Eba, a legal practitioner, on Friday.

The documents which were admitted in evidence included certified true copies of academic and work records of President Tinubu such as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate, a certificate from the Chicago State University and a Mobil Nigeria Oil Company Plc certificate of service.

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Other documents admitted in evidence were a computer generated copy of a Guinean passport bearing the name Bola Ahmed Tinubu and notarised document of the judgement showing criminal forfeiture of $460,000 along with the certified cover note notorising it.

The witness told the court that the NYSC certificate attached to the president’s documents which he submitted to INEC together with his form EC9, which is his nomination form, was issued in the name Tinubu Bola Adekunle.

He also told the court that the transcript in aid of admission into the Chicago State University made by South West College in the name of Bola Ahmed Tinubu had female as the gender of the applicant.

The five-member panel presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned until July 3, for the respondents to open their case.

Atiku asked the PEPC to declare him winner of the presidential election on the grounds that he secured the second highest number of lawful votes cast during the election.

Obi is also asking the court to declare him the winner of the election.

The Star