Uche mentioned that they have gathered INEC officials from various locations in Nigeria to assemble all the required documents.
By Johnson Atoukudu:
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will conclude their case on Thursday, June 22, after the court granted them two additional days to make up for lost time. Originally scheduled to close on Tuesday, the party lost two days due to the Democracy Day holiday and the subsequent weekend. PDP’s counsel, Chris Uche, mentioned that they have presented 25 witnesses and plan to reach a total of 30. The remaining 70 witnesses will be presented through tendered documents.
Earlier, the PDP expressed difficulties in obtaining Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support their petition challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration. During the hearing on Tuesday at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT), the PDP’s counsel informed the court that INEC provided some CTCs of the voter register for the Federal Capital Territory, which they sought to tender as exhibits. However, INEC, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Tinubu’s counsel objected to the admissibility of the document, although the court ultimately accepted it as evidence.
Uche also expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in receiving a CTC of a subpoena from INEC, which they had requested since May 26, hindering their progress. INEC countered by accusing the PDP/Atiku of not paying for the certification and claimed that they were responsible for the delay. Uche mentioned that they have gathered INEC officials from various locations in Nigeria to assemble all the required documents.
The case has been adjourned until Wednesday, June 21, for the continuation of the hearing. Subsequently, the court will proceed to hear the petition filed by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The PDP challenged the outcome of the February 25 presidential election following Bola Tinubu’s victory as the candidate for the then-APC. Atiku Abubakar, the runner-up and former Vice President, is one of the aggrieved parties seeking to nullify Tinubu’s victory.
