I transmitted election results as APO I in Abuja, witness tells tribunal

Petitioners’ 17th witness, Uchena Umeh, confirmed before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, on Tuesday, that as an Assistant Presiding Officer I during the last presidential election in Gwarinpa, Abuja, he transmitted the results of the poll to the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Umeh appeared before the five-man tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Garba at the instance of the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate in the February 23 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who are challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress at the poll.

Under cross-examination by Buhari’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmud (SAN) said as the APO I, Umeh said he was on the day before the election given the code with which he transmitted the results of the poll at his polling unit to INEC server.

He said, “In the course of the training, they told us there was an INEC server.

“A code was given to us and they told us that only APO I should know the code.”

Responding to another question, he said, “It will be wrong to state that election would not be held in a polling unit if the card reader failed to authenticate a permanent voter card.”