Posted by The Labour Party LP and Mr. Peter Gregory Obi’s case challenging his declaration as the winner of the February 25 presidential election was filed before the Presidential Election case Court on Tuesday in Abuja, and the court ordered President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to present his defense.
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC pronounced Tinubu the winner of the contested election on March 1, 2023.
The court’s order came following INEC’s shocking move on Tuesday to withdraw its response to Obi’s appeal after only calling one witness and submitting four papers.
Although INEC had notified the court that it would call three witnesses to testify about how the election was conducted, its lead attorney, Mr. Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, abruptly announced the end of INEC’s case during Tuesday’s hearings.
Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Tinubu’s main attorney, informed the court that his client is prepared to launch his defense on July 5 with witnesses and evidence to support the outcome of the presidential election.
In Tuesday’s proceedings, INEC’s witness, Dr. Lawrence Bayode, acknowledged that the electoral body experienced problems during the presidential election but insisted that these problems had no bearing on how the poll was conducted, the results were compiled, or the results were announced.
Regarding claims that result sheets on INEC’s portal were hazy, the deputy director of information and communication said people in need may still acquire clear result sheets by making a request.
The Court has postponed further hearing on the case until July 5 in the interim.