PEPC: APM closes petition challenging Tinubu’s victory, court adjourns to July 14

.INEC supervisor testifies of failed transmission of presidential election results

Allied Peoples Movement (APM), yesterday, closed its petition before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the February 25 presidential election.

Gideon Idiagbonya, counsel for the petitioner, moved the motion after tendering evidence from Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The seven pieces of evidence are: INEC’s Form EC8E; notice of withdrawal of Kabir Masari as vice presidential candidate; Kashim Shettima’s notice of withdrawal as Borno Central senatorial candidate for All Progressives Congress (APC); letter of voluntary withdrawal written to APC by Shettima as senatorial candidate of APC for Borno Central; affidavit in support of personal particulars for nomination of Shettima as vice presidential candidate; affidavit in support of personal particulars for nomination of Kabir Masari as vice presidential candidate of APC (Form EC9); affidavit in support of personal particulars for nominations of Lawal Kaka Shehu as APC’s Borno Central senatorial candidate (Form EC9).

At the proceedings, the petitioner called its sole witness to testify in an effort to establish its case against Tinubu and Shettima.
The witness, Aisha Abubakar, during cross-examination by counsel for APC, Lateef Fagbemi, admitted she was aware of a Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 26, 2023, which declared that nomination of candidates is an internal affair of political parties.

Abubakar also read out part of the judgment, which declared that the election of candidates is solely an internal affair of political parties.

Consequently, Fagbemi tendered, as evidence, a certified copy of the Supreme Court judgment on nomination of candidates.

The evidence was admitted. Counsel for INEC, Kemi Pinheiro, tendered the certified true copy of a letter from Shettima to INEC capturing his (Shettima’s) withdrawal as senatorial candidate of Borno Central.

The court gave the petitioner 10 days to file and serve its written address and thereafter, adjourned to July 14 for adoption of the written address.

Also, the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, and his party called three witnesses who testified in the petition challenging the victory of Tinubu.

One of the witnesses on subpoena, Kefas Iya, told the court that the election went well but there was no transmission of results in the 24 polling units he supervised.

Iya, who was INEC’s supervisory presiding officer in Jigawa State, informed the court that throughout the time he worked, none of the units he supervised was able to transmit results.

Also, Obi tendered certified true copy of certificate of compliance in respect of Edo State, and supplementary IRev (INEC Result Viewing Portal) report from three local councils of Benue State; supplementary IRev reports from two local councils of Cross River State; IRev report from 12 local councils of Lagos State and IRev report from one local council of Gombe State.

Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned the petition to today for continuation of hearing.