On Friday, Peter Obi, the candidate representing the Labour Party, concluded his legal case, asserting that the presidential election held on February 25 was manipulated in favor of President Bola Tinubu. Despite initially planning to present 50 witnesses, the Labour Party wrapped up their case after the testimony of their 13th witness at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.
During the proceedings, Obi submitted a substantial amount of evidence, including documents and testimonies from 13 witnesses. These materials comprised voting results from polling units across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as records of Permanent Voter Cards collected before the 2023 general elections. Among the submitted evidence were four videos, one of which featured a press conference where Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), assured real-time election results through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System. Additionally, documents indicating the number of registered voters in each state were presented.
Despite objections from the Respondents regarding the admissibility of the documents, the Labour Party concluded its case following the testimony of the 13th witness. Notably, Peter Emmanuel Yari, the final witness and a Presiding Officer in Kaduna State during the presidential election, discussed challenges related to voter accreditation and the uploading of results using BVAS machines.
The court case has been adjourned until July 3, when INEC will begin its defense. The Labour Party is seeking to nullify the election results, arguing that President Tinubu was not the legitimate winner. They also question Tinubu’s eligibility based on previous indictments and the nomination of his running mate for another position. Additionally, the Petitioners challenge the election’s validity, citing allegations of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. As a remedy, they demand either the declaration of Obi as the winner or an order for a fresh election excluding Tinubu, Shettima, and the APC.
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