The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) faced an unexpected setback today, as the proceedings were stalled due to the absence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) witnesses.
Counsel to INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud, revealed that they had planned to present one out of three crucial witnesses during today’s session.
However, to the disappointment of the tribunal, the lead witness was unable to attend due to unforeseen emergencies.
As a result of this development, Mahmoud applied for an adjournment to allow INEC to regroup and ensure the presence of their witnesses during the next session.
The legal counsels representing the Second Petitioner the Labour Party and the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) did not object to the request for an adjournment.
Consequently, the tribunal adjourned the proceedings until tomorrow, Tuesday, July 4th, 2023, at 9 am.
The PEPT is hearing the suit filed by the Labour Party and its Presidential Candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, against Mr Tinubu and INEC, accusing the latter of electoral fraud and non-compliance.
Previously, Obi presented evidence, including BVAS reports and election results from various states, highlighting INEC’s failure to upload real-time results to the IReV portal.
Expert witness testimony contradicted INEC’s technical glitch explanation and the PDP and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar are also challenges Tinubu’s victory.
The electoral umpire has one week to defend its case and as the case continues tomorrow, both parties are expected to prepare diligently and ensure the smooth continuation of the election petition proceedings.