INEC, Tinubu Back Obi To Tender Final Results Declared By Prof Mahmood But Kick Against LGA Results

On Wednesday, the lawyers representing the Independent National Electoral Commission, President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress did not object to the tendering of the final election result (Form EC8DA) before the Presidential Election Petition Court by the Labour Party presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi.

Form EC8DA which was tendered as exhibit by Obi’s legal team represented by Paul Ananaba SAN, is a single sheet from which the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu declared Tinubu as president-elect on March 1.

“We do not object to the admissibility of the national result and we give our consent for it to be taken as read,” INEC’s counsel, Wedin Kuku, told the court.

Counsels for Tinubu and the APC aligned with Kuku and the five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the Form EC8DA as Obi’s evidence.

Ananaba also tendered INEC Form EC8Cs (Local Government results) for Bayelsa (8 LGAs), Benue (23 LGAs), Cross River (18 LGAs), Ebonyi (10 LGAs), Edo(18 LGAs), Lagos (20 LGAs), Niger(25 LGAs), Ondo (18 LGAs), Oyo (33 LGAs), Rivers (23 LGAs), Sokoto (23 LGAs), Ekiti(16 LGAs), Delta( 25 LGAs).

He also tendered INEC Form EC8Ds (state results) for 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

But the respondents objected to the tendering of Local Government level results (Form EC8C) and state level (Form EC8D) by Obi’s team.

Despite their objection, the panel admitted the respective forms as Peter Obi’s evidence in court.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to Thursday.

The petitioner is challenging the presidential election results declared in favour of President Bola Tinubu in over 17 states and over 18,000 polling units.

He alleged that if the actual results in those polling units are announced, he would win the election.