Atiku Abubakar
In the Presidential Election Petitions Court in Abuja, a total of 337 exhibits were admitted on Wednesday.
These exhibits were tendered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as part of their challenge against President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25th presidential election.
During the hearing, the legal team representing the PDP and Atiku, led by Chief Chris Uche (SAN), informed the court that the documents presented as evidence pertained to 33 states across the country. However, it was noted that Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Lagos states were excluded from the presented exhibits.
In addition to other documents, Atiku Abubakar submitted the results of the presidential election from Abia, Bayelsa, Kaduna, and Ogun states before the court. The petitioners explained that these certified results were obtained from Forms EC8A, which were downloaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from its I-Rev portal.
However, the respondents in the petition raised objections regarding the admissibility of the Certified True Copies of these documents. They stated that they would provide detailed reasons for their objections in their final written addresses.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by his legal team led by Chief Wole Olanikpekun (SAN), objected to the submission of information extracted from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, which were used during the 2023 presidential election, as claimed by the petitioners.
Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expressed its opposition to the admissibility of the documents, except for the printout of data from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used in three states: Kogi, Sokoto, and Rivers.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) also objected to the documents presented as evidence.
Additionally, INEC’s legal team, led by Kemi Pinhero, SAN, contested the admissibility of the downloaded results, echoing the objections raised by the other respondents.
However, the panel of the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC), headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani, accepted the documents obtained from the BVAS and designated them as Exhibits PT 1 to PT 33.
In total, the PEPC admitted 337 exhibits presented by the PDP and Atiku.
Earlier in the day, the tribunal adjourned the hearing of the petition filed by the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi, against Tinubu until the 1st of June The adjournment was granted based on a request from the LP’s legal team, led by Chief Awa Kalu (SAN), who informed the court that two key members of the team were unwell and unable to attend the proceedings.
Chief Awa Kalu (SAN) stated, “Your Lordships, our intention for today’s session was to commence the presentation of our documents. However, we encountered an unforeseen circumstance. Two crucial members of our team fell ill suddenly, and as a result, I am compelled to request an adjournment until tomorrow (Thursday).”
He continued, “We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and humbly seek your understanding. I assure Your Lordships that we will be present tomorrow morning and proceed with utmost dedication.”
Justice Haruna Tsammani, granting the application, adjourned the hearing of the petition until Thursday (today).