Election Tribunal update: Peter Obi turns in Video evidence: See More The PDP and its candidate,

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Election Tribunal update: Peter Obi turns in Video evidence: See More

The PDP and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) are challenging Tinubu victory

The trial have been on since May 30, the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) has been hearing petitions challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Congress) in the February 25 presidential election.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) are the petitioners

On the other hand, the first to fourth respondents include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and the APC.
According to results declared by INEC, Tinubu, 71, got 8,794,726 votes, 76-year-old Atiku polled 6,984,520 votes and Obi, 61, finished the race with 6,101,533.
This was the first presidential election to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) an electronic system for accrediting voters before voting and transmitting results to the INEC server as well as the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV)

The video clips of tendered showcased interview with the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the Commission National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye on the 2023 election tendered as evidence by Peter Obi and Labour Party was played at the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, on Saturday.
The videos were submitted by Peter Obi through a subpoenaed witness to prove his petition against the victory of Bola Tinubu of APC in the 2023 presidential election.
PEPC had on Friday admitted the videos of the interview recorded in a flash drive in evidence after stiff resistance from lawyers to the respondents.
At the resumed hearing of the petition, Jubrin Okitepa, SAN counsel to Peter Obi also called a subpoenaed witness from Channels TV, named Lucky Obowo-Isawode, a reporter and editor

The counsel informed the court that two subpoenas dated May 30 and June 6 were served on the TV station to produce the video clips.
The respondents counsel are Kemi Pinhero, SAN for INEC, Akin Olujimi, SAN for president Tinubu and Vice president Shettima, Afolabi Fashanu, SAN for APC .

They all did not oppose the witness but objected to his adoption of his statement on oath.
Olujimi for the 2nd and 3rd respondents objected to the adoption of his witness statement on oath.
According to him, it is against the provision in the Electoral Act.
It is settled that election petition must be filed within 21 days after the announcement of the election. The documents sent out must be be accompanied by the petition, list of witnesses and their statements.
The witness statement was filed today, three months after the announcement of the results, he said.
He added that he has looked at the pages of petition and did not see the name of the witness.
The witness is not competent to testify before this court, this point has been settled in the decision of this court, he said.
Pinhero aligned with the submission by Olujimi.
The petitioners were aware of the videos and ought to have filed it along with the petition as required by the law, he said.
He therefore urged the court to discountenance the adoption and uphold the objection.
Fashanu for APC aligned with the submissions of the other respondents counsel.
He added that there was no distinction between a subpoenaed witness and ordinary witness for the purposes of compliance.
He therefore urged the court to uphold the objection and refuse the adoption for void of merit.
Okitepa told the court if there is something to dismiss, it is the objections of the respondents.

Having played the video evidence, the respondents now cross-examine the witness. The counsel to INEC tells the court that he has no questions for the witness.

Also played in court is the News at 10 bulletin, which shows Tinubu announcing his running mate in Daura.

Before the petitioner (Peter Obi) proceeds with calling his witnesses, the court gives judgement on an earlier application by the petitioner on May 22, ruling that the application be struck out as it was not filed within the required time frame.

More updates coming soon

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