In a significant development, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, presented a compelling collection of 118 exhibits before the five-member panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court. Atiku’s case revolves around challenging the declaration of President Bola Tinubu, who contested under the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the February 25 election.
The petitioners, Atiku and the PDP, raised multiple allegations against Tinubu, including claims that he was not elected by the majority of lawful votes and that he was unqualified to contest the election. They also highlighted inconsistencies in Tinubu’s age and school certificates.
At the commencement of the hearing, Atiku’s legal representative, Eyitayo Jegede, submitted the first batch of exhibits on behalf of the candidate. These exhibits included certified copies of the presidential election results from all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Additionally, Atiku presented printouts of data obtained from the bimodal voter accreditation system and records detailing the number of permanent voter cards used across the states. The court admitted all the exhibits as evidence.
During the hearing, no witnesses were called by the petitioners, and the respondents reserved their objections to the documents until their final written address.
All parties involved in the case expressed their intention to reserve objections and address them in their final written statements. This development sets the stage for a potentially intense legal battle in the pursuit of justice.