By Deborah Onyofufeke, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, tendered before the presidential Election Petition Court, yesterday, more documents as evidence to prove that the president, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu is not the valid winner of the February 25, 2023 election.
Recall that yesterday, the petitioners at the commencement of the hearing tendered copies of result sheets, and printouts of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and recorded the number of permanent voter cards (PVC) collected for the last presidential election across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
At today’s continuation of trial, Atiku’s counsel, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, told the court he would like to submit more documents. “My lord I will tend to proceed from where we left off yesterday, as I will like to tender some documents. These are certified true copies of electoral documents”. He said.
He proceeded to tender to the court a couple of certified true copies of INEC EC8E from three local governments in Abia, 24 local government areas in Kaduna, and 18 out of 23 LGAs in Kogi state. Some documents were also submitted from Ogun.
Jegede said “ I apply to tender in evidence certified true copies of form EC8A downloaded by the 1st respondent. The certificate of compliance for certification for Abia state, comprise of three local governments”.
He noted that his application was in line with agreements in the pre-hearing reports on documents settlement.
Jegede also tendered Certified true copies of the printout of BVAS in 33 states in the country with the exception of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Lagos.
Tinubu and APC also objected to the admission of the documents.
We are objecting to all and we will give our reasons later”.
All CTC’s were submitted to the five-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, which were admitted against the vehement objections of the All Progressive Congress and Tinubu.
Tinubu’s and APC’s legal team led by, Chief Wole Olanikpekun SAN and Lateef Fagbemi SAN, however, objected to the court admitting the documents. “We will be opposing the submission of 1 and 1a and we will be advancing our arguments”.
The independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, counsel, Oluwakemi Pinheiro SAN, objected to the petitioner’s request to tender the documents except in five local governments in Kogi state.
“My lord, We are opposing all documents listed on number 4 however for number 5, we are not opposing the documents in relation to the following 5 local govt in Kogi state. Olamaburo, Ofu, Omala, Okehi and Ajaokuta. We are not objecting to documents from these five local governments all the other documents outside these five local governments we are opposing. We will let it be known why we are opposing them”
Jegede had also prayed that the bulky electoral documents obtained from INEC and already tendered, be taken as read by the court.
Replying, Tinubu and APC counsels said since they have objected to the documents, they would not give their consent to it.
Jegede had said “My lord may I apply that even with all the documents that have just been admitted and in accordance to paragraph 64 and in the spirit of expeditious hearing, that in this proceeding we have these documents exhibit taken as read and in the alternative reading them in the open court”
Tinubu replied “We are unable to give any consent as regards to paragraph 46/4”
APC said, “In line with our earlier indicated objection our consent is not available to the petitioner”.
