• Monday, December 30, 2024
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Tribunal admits IReV reports, more election results in Obi’s petition

Edo Poll: Tribunal begins pre-hearing, adjourns sitting to December 18

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal sitting has admitted in evidence more Certified True Copies of result sheets and reports of the Independent National Electoral Commission Results Viewing Portal (IReV) from states in the petition filed by the Labour Party and Peter Obi challenging the 2023 presidential elections.

Counsel to Obi, Audu Anuga during proceedings on Tuesday, tendered from the bar IREV reports from 21 Local Government Areas in Adamawa Ogun-20, Ekiti-16, Rivers-19 and Akwa Ibom -25 to prove its allegations of irregularities and malpractices during the election.The lawyer also tendered tendered blurred results obtained from the IReV portal for Ogun State.

The legal team of INEC, President Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima and the All Progressives Congress opposed the admissibility of the electoral documents,  and resolved to advance their reasons for objecting to the documents at their final written address.  The five-man panel of judges led by  Justice Haruna Tsammani however admitted the documents as evidence and marked them as exhibits.

Another lawyer representing Obi, Afuba Peter tendered CTCs of forms EC40GPU, EC40G1 and reports prepared by the electoral body after the election. The forms show the number of registered voters and polling units where elections were either cancelled or did not take place.

A breakdown showed that 45 EC40GPU forms were tendered in 10 Local Government Areas of Niger State, 23 in seven Local Government Areas of Osun, 17 in three Local Government Areas of Edo State and 52 EC40GPU forms in five Local Government Areas of Sokoto were tendered.

Obi also tendered 15 forms EC40G in 8 Local Government Areas of Osun State, 12 forms EC40G1 in 12 Local Government Areas of Edo, 15 forms EC40G in four Local Government Areas of Sokoto and 9 EC40G1 forms in two Local Government Areas of Sokoto.

All respondents opposed the tendering of the electoral documents but the court admitted them and marked them as evidence.

The court subsequently adjourned further hearing in the petition to Wednesday June 14.

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