TRIBUNAL: Tinubu, INEC Vehemently Oppose Atiku’s Presentation Of Ad-Hoc Election Staff As Witnesses As Court Adjourns

The Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned hearing on the petition filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic party, Atiku Abubakar, after the lawyers representing the Independent National Electoral Commission, President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress vehemently rejected Atiku’s bid to get the court to take the testimony of INEC’s ad-hoc staff presented by the PDP.

At the proceedings on Wednesday, the PDP lawyer, Chris Uche SAN, informed the court that he has three subpoenaed witnesses aside from a PDP state collation agent, Hon. Ndubuisi Nwobu from Anambra state, as witnesses.

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Upon revealing that the subpoenaed witnesses were INEC ad-hoc staff and asking one of them to come forward, INEC lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, raised objection, insisting that PDP served him their witness statement today and he would need time to study and revert to his client.

He described the development as an ambush.

Lawyers representing Tinubu and the APC aligned with the submission of INEC, saying they were also served today, contrary to directive of the court.

But Uche maintained that there was nothing surprising in what he did because he already stated in his petition that he would bring subpoenaed witnesses to substantiate that the election was rigged.

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Earlier, the court admitted electoral documents from 10 local governments in Kogi State, as part of PDP’s evidence.

Nwobu also testified that elections in the state were not transmitted in real time.

The court subsequently adjourned to Thursday for PDP to produce those subpoenaed witnesses.

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