I’ve not been certified, PDP’s database analyst admits

Joseph Gbenga, a database analyst engaged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has admitted that he has not been certified.

Gbenga, number 441 on the petitioners list, said this while testifying at the presidential election petitions tribunal in Abuja on Friday.

The database analyst said he is still undergoing certification.

“I have not been certified,” the witness said when he was being cross-examined by Yunus Usman, counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“I have done work for WHO, UNFPA but this is my first on election work.”

Asked by Wole Olanipekun, counsel to President Muhammadu Buhari, when he was engaged for the job, Gbenga said: “About two months ago.”

“I got the pink copies about a month ago,” he said when asked if Zamfara’s result was part of his analysis.

Pressed further, he said, “Zamfara is not part of the 11 states.” He added that “I did not make use of voters register [for my analysis].”

When asked if he knows that the margin of victory he gave the petitioners in 11 states is greater than what they got in 36 states, he said: “That was not under my purview.”

Before he testified, Lateef Fagebemi, counsel of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had objected to him taking the witness stand.

David Njoga, an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) expert, had earlier told the tribunal that the information gotten from the INEC server that he analysed was obtained from a whistleblower.

“The INEC official is anonymous,” he said.

“If the INEC chairman provides access to the server, I will prove that it is the same information on the whistleblowing sites.”

He added that he was not paid but his logistics were taken care of.