The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, will on Thursday, June 15 appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja.
This was stated on Tuesday, June 13, by Chris Uche, SAN lead counsel to Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their ongoing petition challenging the outcome of the 2023 presidential election which brought President Bola Tinubu into power.
The respondents in the petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023 are INEC, Tinubu, and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Uche said the INEC chairman will during his appearance testify on the conduct of the disputed presidential election.
He told the court that he does not want the respondents, especially Tinubu and the APC to be caught unawares.
Earlier, the petitioners called their 19th witness, Alex Ter, their first star witness to testify.
Ter, a lawyer, is the National Coordinator of PDP‘s National situation room.
The counsel for INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, however, objected when the witness was about to adopt his statement which was more than one.
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Mahmoud told the court that they objected on May 20 to the petitioners’ reply on the additional statements.
He stated that it was not pleaded in line with the provisions of the law, urging the court to dismiss it and uphold the objection.
He, however, told the court that he would reserve their reasons for the objections to be communicated at the final addresses
Uche further told the court that the objections INEC raised have been argued and ruling reserved by the court.
“Whatever objection that INEC has should be kept aside,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the court to overrule the objection and allow the process to proceed.
He said he will be tendering video clips of the broadcast by the chairman of INEC on the preparation for the election and that of the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, on the election.
The lawyer added that he will be tendering the European Union (EU) election observers’ mission broadcast alongside the transcripts and the certificates of authenticity of the three videos.
He said this was pursuant to Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
He also tendered INEC I-reV screenshots of the portal as of March 18 and March 19.
Also tendered were I-reV results portal at the pulling units of March 1 and the transcripts and certificates of authenticity.
INEC did not object but Tinubu and APC objected, as all the respondents reserved their responses until their final written addresses.
Under cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, Mahmoud, the witness admitted that he was not at the National Collation Center but was at the PDP situation room in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He also admitted not being an ICT expert but that he based his report on information obtained from agents of the PDP at the collation centers.
The witness faulted INEC for not transmitting presidential election results electronically, adding that calculation errors led the electoral body to grave errors.
Also cross-examined by Akin Olujimi SAN, counsel for Tinubu, the witness said he came to the conclusion that the presidential election was invalid by reason of corrupt electoral practices as related to him by PDP agents.
Testifying as the petitioners’ 20th witness was Olutunji Shelle.
He alleged during cross-examination by INEC counsel that there were some secret pulling units set up by the APC in Lagos.
He, however, said he did not visit any.
The petitioners have called 20 witnesses so far out of 100 they told the court they would call.
Meanwhile, the five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned until Wednesday, June 14, for further hearing of the petition.
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