From eight States of the Federation have come a whopping 26,175 exhibits to the Presidential Election and Petition Tribunal (PEPT) by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the February 23 Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar.
It brings to 31,371 the number exhibits the party and Atiku have tendered in 24 hours. On Thursday, the Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba-led tribunal received 5,196 documents as part of the duo’s efforts to establish fraud and malpractices in the February 23 election.
The documents comprised mainly result sheets from polling units, wards and local governments in eight states, while receipts for certification of documents from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were tendered and admitted as exhibits along with the result sheets.
The exhibits came from Katsina, Kebbi, Borno, Jigawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kaduna and partly Kano.
The breakdown of the documents indicated that 3,378 came from Katsina; 2,106 came from Kebbi; 3,472 from Borno; 3,162 from Jigawa; 1,912 from Gombe; 3,539 from Bauchi; 3,335 from Kaduna and 5,271 came from Kano.
Atiku’s lawyer, Dr. Livy Uzuokwu SAN,
while tendering the documents told the tribunal that the remaining ones from Kano state would be brought on Monday, the adjourned date.
Counsel to INEC, Yunus Ustaz Usman, that of Buhari, Mike Igbokwe (SAN) and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Charles Edosomwan (SAN) objected to the admissibility of the documents but however informed the tribunal that reasons for their objections would be made at the address stage of hearing in the Petition.
Atiku and the PDP are seeking nullification of the Presidential election on grounds of fraud, election malpractices and non qualification of Buhari to stand for the poll.
Uzoukwu, Atiku’s lawyer told the tribunal that his team will begin to call witnesses at the end of tendering of documents by the team.
The tribunal adjourned further hearing in the petition till Monday, July 8, 2019.