The legal team of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says it was denied access to electoral
documents by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite
paying N6 million.
The team is requesting the documents as exhibits, to tender
before the presidential election petition tribunal, to prove its case against
the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the last election.
Eyitayo Jegede, lead counsel to Abubakar, told the five-man
tribunal on Tuesday that INEC’s refusal to provide the documents is frustrating
the PDP candidate’s case.
Jegede had sought to tender results from 10 out of 21 LGAs
in Kogi state to prove the former vice-president’s case against Tinubu.
The LGAs whose results were sought to be tendered are Ankpa,
Dekina, Idah, Ofu, Olamaboro, Yagba East, Yagba West, Kabba-Bunu, and Igalamela
Odolu.
Jegede said the team had to subpoena INEC officials to
provide the required documents before the tribunal.
However, Haruna Tsammani, chairman of the tribunal, said the
court would have difficulty marking and numbering the documents as exhibits,
adding that it was insensitive to tender such sensitive documents piecemeal.
Jegede sought adjournment of the case to enable his team to
get the required documents from INEC.
The commission, represented by Abubakar Mahmoud, did not
object to Jegede’s request for adjournment.
Also, Wole Olanipekun, Tinubu’s lawyer and Lateef
Fagbemi, counsel to the All Progressives
Congress (APC), did not oppose the request for adjournment of the case.
Tsammani subsequently adjourned the case to June 7.
Tinubu, the standard bearer of the APC, was declared the
winner of the February 25 election with 8,794,726 votes.
The outcome of the election is being challenged by Abubakar
and Peter Obi, flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP).
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