- APC fails to produce witness
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Presidential Election Petitions Court, PEPC, Wednesday in Abuja, admitted as exhibit, the damming European Union, EU Report which said that Nigeria’s 2023 presidential poll was flawed.
Despite objections from Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, APC; and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the tribunal admitted a certified copy of the EU report and marked it as Exhibit S-2.
This is as Tinubu closed his defence to the petition by Obi with only one witness.
His party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, could not produce any witness.
Tinubu’s witness was Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele, who was appointed the Senate Majority Leader on Tuesday.
The Ekiti APC senator claimed that votes Tinubu got in Kano State were not properly recorded, insisting that there was a shortfall of about 10, 929 votes.
He tendered ECOWAS report on the 2023 election, claiming that election was disrupted in South-East because of the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Bamidele was asked to read a portion of the ECOWAS report which he tendered in evidence, where it stated that there was wanton destruction of properties and killings in the build up to the elections, including the murder of a LP’s Senatorial candidate in Enugu State.
But after he read the portion, the Senate Majority Leader said: “My Lords, I do not agree with this aspect. I only accept the conclusion. The killings that were experienced in the South-East was due to the IPOB situation and not because of the election.”
Meanwhile, counsel to the APC, Fagbemi, SAN, told the court that the party would not call any witness or tender exhibits in defence of the petition.
The tribunal directed the Respondents to file their final brief of argument within 10 days while the Petitioners were given seven days to file their own.
Before adjourning the tribunal said that the date for adoption of all the processes would be communicated later to all the parties.
