The absence of a witness on Monday, prevented the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to open its case in the petition filed by the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, and his party against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja had, last week adjourned till Monday for the electoral body, which is the first respondent in the petition to open its defence of the February 25 presidential election, which it conducted.
When the petition was called, lead counsel to the INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) told the court that, the first defendant has three days to defend the outcome of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
He informed the court that the electoral body has three witnesses to present in its case and regretted that the witness slated to give evidence on Monday was not in court and asked for an adjournment till Tuesday for INEC to open its case in the joint petition by Obi and his party against Tinubu’s election.
The request for adjournment was not opposed by the petitioners and President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the APC, who are listed as second to fourth respondents in the petition.
Consequently, the five-member panel of Justices of the court, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned further proceedings in the petition till Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
Obi and his party had, on Friday, June 28 closed their case in their petition challenging the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election after the testimony of their 13th witness and tendering of several documents to prove their allegations that the presidential election was conducted in gross violation of the Constitution, Electoral Act and INEC’s guidelines for the conduct of the disputed election.
