The Court of the President: Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, Will Give Evidence in Atiku's Petition Against Tinubu's Victory

 

On June 15, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman Mahmood Yakubu is scheduled to testify in Abuja before the Presidential Election Petition Court.

Premium Times reports that Atiku Abubakar's petition to challenge President Bola Tinubu's victory in the 2023 presidential election will include testimony from the chairman of the electoral umpire.

The flagbearer of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC conspired to rig the 2023 presidential election.

Chris Uche, Atiku and the PDP's lead attorney, informed the five-person panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani that the INEC chairman would appear before the judge.

Uche (SAN) announced that Mahmood would testify about the disputed presidential election's conduct and present important supporting documents during his court appearance.

Nevertheless, Uche did not specify the nature of these documents.

Atiku's team introduced Dr. Alex Adum Ter, a lawyer and former Attorney General of Benue State, as their first key witness during the proceedings.

Attorney Ter claimed that the presidential election did not follow the Electoral Act 2022 because of numerous irregularities.

Three video clips were submitted as evidence by Ter, who was the PDP's National Coordinator for Situation Room during the presidential election on February 25.

The videos, which featured broadcasts from Mahmood and Festus Okoye, the Commissioner in Charge of Voter Education for INEC, promised Nigerians that, for the sake of credibility and transparency, the results of the presidential election would be transmitted electronically.

Justice Tsammani admitted the video clips and other documents as exhibits, which were then played in open court despite strong objections from Tinubu and the APC.

recalls that Peter Obi's Labour Party offered similar video clips to contest Mr. Tinubu's victory.

Mr. Ter claimed that he was in the PDP situation room in Abuja rather than the National Collation Centre in Abuja while being cross-examined by INEC's attorney, Abubakar Mahmoud, a SAN.

Ter clarified to the court that his report on the election's outcome was obtained from PDP agents at the collation centers and that he was not an ICT expert.

Under cross-examination by Mr. Tinubu's attorney, Akin Olujinmi, a SAN, Atiku's 19th witness stated that INEC's alleged electoral malpractices rendered the presidential election invalid.

The court put off hearing the case until Wednesday after Mr. Ter finished giving his testimony.