Labour Party, LP and it’s presidential candidate in the February 25, 2023, election, Mr. Peter Obi, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the poll, the APC itself and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, are to call a total of 80 witnesses in the matter.
Obi and LP are in the substantive petition, challenging the declaration of Tinubu by INEC as winner of the February 25, poll.
They are further contending the in the petition that as at the time Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, became the Vice Presidential candidate, he was still the nominated candidate of the APC for the Borno Central Senatorial election.
Obi and LP are also challenging Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the presidential election, alleging that he was previously indicted and fined the sum of $460,000.00 by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, in Case No: 93C 4483, for an offence involving dishonesty and drug trafficking.
*Obi to call 50
*Tinubu to call 21
*INEC to call 3
*APC to call 7
According to Obi and LP, the electoral body was in the course of the conduct of the presidential poll, mandatorily required to prescribe and deploy technological devices for the accreditation, verification, continuation and authentication of voters and their particulars as contained in its Regulations.
At the resumed hearing in the matter on Saturday, Obi through his team of lawyers led by Prof. Awa Kalu, SAN, said he has lined up 50 witnesses to prove that the 2023 presidential election was rigged against him.
He told the court, “My lords, we still have a few hiccups at INEC because of the order that was made by this court on March 8, directing them to allow us to carry out forensic examination of the BVAS. They have not allowed us.
“We are also waiting for some documents we requested from them,” Prof. Kalu added.
INEC, through its lawyer, said it would need three days to present its two witnesses.
Tinubu, through his lawyer, said he would require nine days to call a total of 21 witnesses, excluding expert witnesses, to defend his election victory.
The APC on it’s part, said the party would call only seven witnesses, excluding those to be subpoenaed, to testify in the matter.
