In a significant development at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, the legal team representing Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of obstructing their access to vital electoral documents. Despite having paid N6 million for the certification of these documents, Atiku’s lawyer, Eyitayo Jegede, stated that INEC’s refusal to provide the materials has made it exceedingly difficult to substantiate their case against President Bola Tinubu.
During the court proceedings on Tuesday, Jegede sought to present results sheets from ten Local Government Areas in Kogi State, including Ankpa, Dekina, Idah, Ofu, Olamaboro, Yagba East, Yagba West, Kabba-Bunu, and Igalamela Odolu. However, the five-member court panel, led by Haruna Tsammani, rejected the attempt to introduce these documents individually, citing concerns over handling sensitive materials in a piecemeal fashion. Tsammani explained that properly marking and numbering the documents as exhibits would pose challenges under these circumstances.
Jegede argued that INEC had failed to supply the documents in their entirety to Atiku’s legal team, despite the payment of N6 million for certified copies. Alleging INEC’s refusal, Jegede revealed that they had resorted to subpoenaing INEC officials, compelling them to produce the required documents before the court.
In light of these challenges, Jegede requested a 24-hour adjournment to pursue the necessary documents from INEC, emphasizing the criticality of accessing the materials to effectively present Atiku’s case.
The court will deliberate on the request, with implications for the progress of the presidential election petition.
