Election Petition: Atiku tenders 26,175 exhibits from 8 States

Mr. Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential Candidate in the February 23 presidential election stood for the two petitioners, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and PDP.

Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, who was absent on Thursday represented President Muhammadu Buhari while the All Progressives Congress (APC) was represented by Mr. Dare Oketade.

Dr. Livy Uzuokwu SAN led the legal team of the petitioners, Mr. Yunus Ustaz Usman SAN for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Mike Igbokwe SAN for President Buhari and Mr. Charles Edosomwan SAN for APC.

Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his Party, the PDP on Friday tendered a total of 26,175 exhibits against the February 23, 2019 election that produced Muhammadu Buhari as President and in support of his petition seeking nullification of the election on grounds of fraud, election malpractices and non qualification of Buhari to stand for the poll.

The documents were tendered through his lead counsel, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN) at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

Atiku had, on Thursday, kick-started hearing of his petition before Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba led tribunal when he tendered a total of 5,196 documents as part of efforts to establish fraud and malpractices in the February 23 election that produced Buhari.

The documents tendered yesterday comprised mainly result sheets from polling units, wards and local governments in eight states, while receipts for certification of documents from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were tendered and admitted as exhibits along with the result sheets.

The eight states where the documents emanated from are Katsina, Kebbi, Borno, Jigawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kaduna and partly Kano.

The breakdown of the documents indicated that 3,378 came from Katsina; 2,106 came from Kebbi; 3,472 from Borno; 3,162 from Jigawa; 1,912 from Gombe; 3,539 from Bauchi; 3,335 from Kaduna and 5,271 came from Kano.

Atiku’s lawyer, while tendering the documents told the tribunal that the remaining ones from Kano state would be brought on Monday, the adjourned date.

Counsel to INEC, Yunus Ustaz Usman, that of Buhari, Mike Igbokwe (SAN) and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Charles Edosomwan (SAN) objected to the admissibility of the documents but however informed the tribunal that reasons for their objections would be made at the address stage of hearing in the Petition.

Uzoukwu, Atiku’s lawyer told the tribunal that his team will begin to call witnesses at the end of tendering of documents by the team.

The tribunal adjourned further hearing in the petition till Monday, July 8, 2019.