The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, Monday filed against President Muhammadu Buhari and its party on the video evidence presented by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
The tribunal chairman, Justice Mohammed Garba dismissed the objection by Buhari and the ruling Al APC.
He said their objection to tendering and playing of the said video recording before the tribunal on the ground that they were not front loaded was unsustainable.
Justice Garba held that both Buhari, APC and INEC are bound by the pre-hearing report they freely signed to the effect that documents to be tendered from the bar can only be opposed at the final address stage.
The tribunal chairman in the unanimous ruling also held that none of the four parties to the agreement can renege on any of the terms and, therefore, admitted the video clips as rendered by the two petitioners through their star witness.
After the ruling, a video recording of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Akwa Ibom, Mike Igini, where he admitted that the electoral body would transmit election results with the use of smart card reader to the INEC central server, was played in the court room.
Igini spoke with Channels Television shortly before the election was conducted.
During the play of one of the recordings, Igini was emphatic when he told the Channels TV crew that the electoral body would surely use smart card to transmit election results into the INEC server.
Atiku’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), who tendered 48 compact disc and admitted by the tribunal in evidence said they were part of efforts by the petitioners to prove that election results were transmitted electronically as against the argument INEC that results were received manually.
Uche who led Atiku and PDP legal team at yesterday’s proceedings, tendered the 48 video recordings through Segun Showumi, one of the media aides to the PDP presidential candidate.
However, under cross-examination by INEC led counsel, Atiku’s witness admitted that Igini was not the official spokesman for INEC.
Meanwhile, one of Buhari’s counsel, Alex Izinyon sought the order of tribunal to play counter video recording today (Tuesday).
In another video recording played in the courtroom, INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu expressed optimism that the electronic system would be used during the conduct of the 2019 general elections.
Also, three witnesses, Babagana Kukawa, Abana Pogu and Suleiman Mohamed Bulama from Borno and Yobe states had testified that voters in the two states were harassed, intimidated and threatened to either vote for APC or risk being ejected from their farmlands.
In his evidence, Bulama alleged that the APC used soldiers to molest, attack and injured some voters suspected to be sympathetic to PDP.
He also alleged village and district heads were allegedly used to coerce the voters into voting for Buhari.
Hearing continues Tuesday.
Felix Omohomhion, Abuja
