The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmood will on Thursday, appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja, to give evidence in a petition filled by the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu as President.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel for the petitioner, Chief Chris Uche announced to the court that the INEC chairman would testify on the conduct of the presidential election and also tender some sensitive documents in aid of the Presidential candidate of the PDP.
He called his first witness, Dr Alex Adum Ter, a legal practitioner and former Attorney General of Benue State, who alleged that the presidential election was marred with a lot of irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
The witness, who was the National Coordinator, Situation Room for PDP on the February 25 presidential election had tendered three different video clips featuring Mahmood, INEC’s Commissioner in charge of Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, who in their broadcast assured Nigerians that presidential election results would be electronically transmitted to make the election credible and transparent.
The third video involving European Union Election Observer Mission was admitted as exhibits by the court alongside Guidelines for Election Officers 2022 and Manual for Election Guidelines 2023.
Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the video clips in evidence and thereafter, were played in the open court.
The witness also tendered screen shots of the IReV portal.
Under cross examination by INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, the witness admitted that he was not at the National Collation Center but was at the PDP situation room in the Federal Capital Territory.
He also admitted not being an ICT expert but that he based his report from information obtained from agents of the PDP at the collation centers.
RN
