INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and president-elect, Bola Tinubu [Kola Sulaimon/AFP]
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, is set to testify before the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
This development comes as part of the ongoing petition filed by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who challenges the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election.
Atiku and his legal team have accused INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the election results. In a bid to substantiate their claims, Atiku's lead counsel, Chris Uche, has informed the court that Yakubu will appear as a witness and present sensitive electoral documents.
The appearance of Yakubu before the court follows a subpoena issued at the behest of Atiku's legal team. The purpose of his testimony is to shed light on the conduct of the disputed election and provide evidence in support of the petitioner's case.
Prior to Yakubu's testimony, Atiku's legal team called several witnesses, including Alex Ter, a lawyer and former Attorney General of Benue State. Ter testified that the February presidential poll was marred by widespread irregularities and violated the Electoral Act, 2022.
During his testimony, Ter presented video clips featuring Yakubu and INEC's Commissioner for Voter Education, Festus Okoye, both affirming the commitment to electronically transmit the election results. The court admitted these videos as exhibits, along with other relevant documents.
Despite objections from Tinubu's legal team and the APC, the court accepted the admissibility of the videos. Similar video clips were previously tendered by Peter Obi's Labour Party, which also disputes Tinubu's victory.
Under cross-examination, Ter clarified that he was not an ICT expert and obtained his report on the election's outcome from PDP agents at the collation centers. He maintained that the presidential election should be considered null and void due to alleged electoral malpractices by INEC.
Following Ter's testimony, the court adjourned the proceedings until Wednesday, June 14, for further hearings. Atiku and Obi are both urging the court to declare them as president and are calling for a fresh election.
