Tinubu to begin defence against Obi’s petition July 5
On July 5, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to present his defence in response to a petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.
Following the controversial presidential election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on February 25, 2023, Tinubu was declared the winner on March 1, 2023.
In a surprising turn of events, INEC decided to abruptly terminate its own defence in Obi’s petition after presenting only one witness and tendering four documents. Despite indicating their intention to justify the election’s conduct with three witnesses, INEC’s lead counsel, Mr. Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud SAN, unexpectedly announced the closure of the electoral commission’s defence during the proceedings on Tuesday.
Tinubu’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, assured the Court that his client is fully prepared to commence his defence on July 5. Tinubu will present witnesses and documents to substantiate his victory in the presidential election.
During the recent proceedings, INEC’s witness, Dr. Lawrence Bayode, acknowledged that the electoral body encountered glitches during the presidential election. However, he quickly added that these glitches did not impact the election’s conduct, result collation, or the declaration of final results.
Regarding the allegation of blurred result sheets on INEC’s portal, the Deputy Director of Information and Communication clarified that clear result sheets are still obtainable upon request by those who require them.
The Court has rescheduled further hearings in the petition for July 5.
