On Thursday evening, the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, sought an order from the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja to interrogate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The LP and Obi are specifically seeking information regarding the use of information and communication technology experts by INEC during the February 25 election. They are contesting the declaration made by INEC that Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress emerged as the winner of the election.
During the hearing, Obi’s lawyer, Patrick Ikweto (SAN), presented two separate motions, including 12 questions to be forwarded to INEC. These questions aim to support the petitioners’ claims that the election was flawed.
However, INEC’s counsel, Kemi Pinhero (SAN), objected to the application, arguing that it was filed outside the specified time allowed by law. Pinhero contended that bringing the application outside the pre-hearing session had deprived the court of jurisdiction to hear it.
Akin Olujimi (SAN), representing Tinubu, and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), representing the APC, also opposed the request.
The presiding Justice, Haruna Tsammani, reserved the ruling on Obi’s interrogatory applications and adjourned further hearing in the petition until Friday.
In a separate development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, called their first subpoenaed witness, Friday Egwuma, at the Presidential Election Petition Court on Thursday. Despite objections from the respondents, Egwuma testified that he encountered technical glitches while attempting to upload the captured presidential results to the INEC Results Viewing Portal. He alleged that the results could not be electronically transmitted in real-time, although other results were seamlessly transmitted. The court reserved ruling on the objection raised by the respondents regarding the admissibility of Egwuma’s deposition.
