Presidential Tribunal: INEC Chair to Testify in Atiku’s Petition Against Tinubu

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has been subpoenaed to appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court to testify in the petition by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The PDP and Atiku are challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, which produced President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as the winner.

At the Tuesday proceedings, counsel for the PDP and Atiku, Chris Uche (SAN), said the INEC Chairman had been subpoenaed to testify on the conduct of the disputed election.

He said the INEC chairman would also tender some sensitive documents during his appearance.

Uche told the five-man panel of the court headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani that he made the disclosure, today, Tuesday so that the respondents, especially Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress, would be in the know.

Also at the proceedings, the former Attorney General of Benue state, Alex Ter, testified as the first star witness in Atiku’s petition.

Ter, who was the National Coordinator of the PDP Situation Room during the February 25 presidential election, tendered three different exhibits, which were video clips of Mahmood and INEC’s Commissioner for Voter Education, Festus Okoye, assuring Nigerians that the presidential election results would be electronically transmitted.

Despite objections from the respondents’ counsel against the admissibility of the documents, Justice Tsammani of the PEPC admitted them after which the video clips were played in the open court.

Also admitted as exhibits by the court were the Guidelines for Election Officers 2022 and the Manual for Election Guidelines 2023.

The witness faulted INEC for not transmitting presidential election results electronically, adding that calculation errors led the electoral body to serious errors.

Further proceedings were adjourned till Wednesday.

PUNCH