Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is scheduled to appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court on Thursday. This information was announced by Chris Uche, the lead counsel for Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their ongoing petition. The petition, marked CA/PEPC/05/2023, involves Abubakar Atiku and the PDP challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, which declared President Bola Tinubu as the winner. The respondents in the case include INEC, President Bola Tinubu, and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Uche stated that Yakubu will testify on the conduct of the disputed presidential election during his appearance. The petitioners have called their 19th witness, Alex Ter, a lawyer and politician who serves as the National Coordinator of PDP's National Situation Room. The proceedings also involved objections raised by INEC's counsel, Mahmoud, regarding the witness's adoption of multiple statements. The court has reserved its ruling on the objections. Uche, representing the petitioners, urged the court to overrule the objections and allow the process to continue. He mentioned their intention to tender a manual for the conduct of the 2023 election, video clips of INEC Chairman's broadcast on election preparation, and EU election observers' mission broadcast, among other evidence. The respondents, including INEC, Tinubu, and APC, reserved their responses for their final written addresses. The witness, under cross-examination, admitted not being physically present at the National Collation Center but relying on information obtained from PDP agents at the collation centers. The witness criticized INEC for not transmitting presidential election results electronically and claimed that calculation errors led to grave mistakes by the electoral body. Another witness, Olutunji Shelle, testified as the petitioners' 20th witness and alleged the existence of secret polling units set up by the APC in Lagos, although he did not visit any. The petitioners have called 20 witnesses out of the 100 they intend to present. The five-man panel, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, adjourned the hearing until the following day.
