Obi vows to challenge results of 18 states

 

R-L: Peter Obi, Datti Ahmed Yusuf and Suspended LP chairman, Abure

The Labour Party and its presidential candidate in the February 25, presidential election, Mr Peter Obi, has told the Presidential Election Petitions Court sitting in Abuja that they would challenge the election results in 18 States only.

The petitioners submitted that they would not waste the precious time of the court in the states that they won convincingly and without any dispute.

During the proceeding, Obi and the Labour Party  tendered certified true copies of electoral documents obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission in only six States.

Forms EC8A and election results from polling units were documents tendered to be used to establish alleged riggings and other malpractices during the election.

Breakdown of the tendered and admitted documents showed that Forms EC8A were tendered in 15 Local Government Areas of Rivers State,  23 in Benue, 18 in Cross River, 23 in Niger State,  20 in Osun and 16 in Ekiti Local Government Areas.

Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents as exhibits after they were tendered by counsel for the petitioner, Chief Emeka Okpoko.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, represented by Mr. Kemi Pinhero which issued the documents and certified them as genuine suddenly announced its decision to object to admission of the documents.

Counsel for the 2nd and 3rd respondents, Chief Adebayo Adelodun also opposed the admissibility of the electoral documents.

Similarly, the All Progressives Congress, APC, represented by Chief Afolabi Fashanu argued that it would raise objections against the documents.

Meanwhile, the Court has adjourned hearing in the petition until tomorrow.

The Presidential Election Petition Court had earlier, stepped down hearing in the petition filed by Mr Peter Obi and the Labour Party, against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The petition was stepped down by the Court following poor schedule of documents being sought to be tendered to establish the allegations of malpractices during the February 25 presidential election.

When the matter came up, the Court discovered that the documents were not properly scheduled and a lot of discrepancies were uncovered from the documents from the 23 local government areas of Benue state.

However, Counsel for the petitioner, Chief Emeka Okpoko sought to use documents not filed to conduct the proceedings but the move was rejected on the ground of illegality.

The Court therefore stepped down hearing of the petition and ordered the legal team to re- file the schedule of documents in line with the provisions of the pre-hearing report.