The Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, presented final results from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in court on Wednesday, as part of their protest against the February 25 election outcome.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Paul Annanaba tendered the national document Form EC8D(a) on behalf of Obi and the Labour Party at the Presidential Election Petition Court.
They challenge the conduct of the presidential election where Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The respondents, including INEC, Tinubu, Vice-president, Kassim Shettima, and the APC, through their legal representatives, accepted the presentation of the national results.
The five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, consequently accepted the document as evidence in Obi’s petition.
In a related development, Obi and the Labour Party also presented Form EC8Cs used for collating election results at the local government level from 13 states as evidence supporting their protest against Tinubu’s victory.
However, all respondents objected to the admissibility of these forms, promising to explain their objections in their final written addresses. Despite this, the court accepted the forms as evidence.
In the meantime, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last election, Atiku Abubakar, summoned their first subpoenaed witness at the Presidential Election Petition Court.
However, the respondents’ counsel objected to taking the witness’s testimony. Despite the PDP’s insistence on the matter, the trial was adjourned until the following day to allow respondents time to review the documents. The hearing continues on Thursday, June 8, 2023.
