Labour Party lawyer accuses INEC of 'contradictions and inconsistencies' after adjournment

An election officer uses Bimodal Voter Accreditation System to authenticate the identity of a voter at a polling station for a gubernatorial and House of Assembly candidates during local elections, in Lagos, on March 18, 2023. – Nigerians vote in local elections three weeks after the ruling party won a presidential poll contested by the two main opposition parties. Africa’s most populous country will be voting for governors in 28 of the 36 states of the federation — the other states having already conducted by-elections — as well as for representatives in state assemblies. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

The Labour Party (LP) lawyer, Levi Uzoukwu has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of contradictions and inconsistencies after the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) adjourned their case on Monday.

The PEPT on Monday resumed sitting in an Abuja Court for the Respondents, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to open their defence in the petitions of the Peoples Democratic Party and the LP.

INEC was the first to lead the path by calling three witnesses in the Labour Party’s petition.

However, their first defence witness called to register his unavailability due to domestic urgency, according to the Counsel to INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud.

He asked that the case be adjourned until tomorrow July 4, a stand which was not opposed by counsels to the Labour Party, Levi Uzoukwu, APC’s Lateef Fagbemi and Tinubu’s Wole Olanikpekun.

Uzoukwu while speaking after the ruling, however, expressed the readiness of the Labour Party to be back at the Tribunal tomorrow.

“Our party prepared so well but on getting to court, we heard that they proposed to have three witnesses today but the first one was unavailable for domestic reasons,” he said.

“However, we were not told what happened to the other two witnesses, therefore, leading to an adjournment until tomorrow.

“We are ready to come here tomorrow but I have a hunch that given the contradictions and inconsistencies and what INEC has done, I am sure that they are not ready to defend this case.

“I stand to be proved wrong but I would wish that they defend this matter so that the public will come to see more things about what happened during the elections.

“Honestly speaking, I will continue to say that we have never had an election liks the last one, I stand to be contradicted.

“But the choice is INEC’s to call a witness or not but for us, I can say that we are ready.”

Labour Party flagbearer, Peter Obi and his counterpart, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP are challenging INEC’s declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the February 25th presidential election.