The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has continued to object to several documents tendered before the election Petition Court by Peter Obi and the Labour Party, for the purpose of tendering them as exhibits to justify their petition challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.
When the proceedings commenced on Friday, INEC’s counsel Kemi Pinhero, while objecting to the admission of the certified true Copies of the documents, stated that some of the documents were strange and not part of those pleaded by the petitioners as agreed during the pre-hearing session.
However, the presiding Justice Haruna Tsammani held that it was wrong of INEC’s lawyer to have interfered in the proceedings, since all parties in the petition have agreed to offer such explanations at the address stage of proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Court admitted supplementary evidence from parts of Rivers state and Niger states which continued from the previous day, and exhibits in six other states including Adamawa, Bayelsa, Oyo, Edo, Lagos and Akwa Ibom state(s) as tendered by Obi and the Labour Party.
A Breakdown of the fresh exhibits showed that forms EC8A were admitted in 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa, 8 in Local Government Areas of Bayelsa, 31 Local Government Areas of Oyo, 18 Local Government Areas of Edo, 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos and 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom.
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All the documents tendered before the court was objected to by all the respondents in the matter.
After all submissions by parties in the matter, the Five-man panel adjourned hearing in the petition to Monday June 5.
Earlier in the day, the Election Petition court Adjourned hearing of the Petition by the Allied People’s Movement against INEC, APC and others to June 9, to avail the petitioner more time to obtain a certified true copy of the Supreme Court Judgment, delivered May 26, 2023, which laid to rest the controversies around the double Nomination of Kashim Shettima.
The matter which was adjourned to today could not go on as the petitioners say they have not been able to obtain the CTC of the judgment as directed by the court.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
