PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PETITION TRIBUNAL: PDP, Atiku tender electronic documents from Niger as trial opens

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential Candidate in the February 23 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, opened trial at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja on Thursday, tendering electoral document, Form EC8C for Agaie Local Government Area of Niger State.

Atiku who lost the election is challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

Respondents in the matter are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Buhari and his party, APC

The legal team of the petitioners led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), tendered the evidence, a move that was opposed by the respondents’ lawyers.

Meanwhile, the five-man tribunal , led by Justice Mohammed Garba, dismissed the respondents’ request, saying that the agreements reached between the parties at the pre-hearing session concluded earlier on Wednesday, had stipulated that trial would commence on Thursday.

Read also: 20-yr-old Poly student jailed for fraudulent impersonation

He added that the agreement reached which was adopted at the tribunal’s directive on Wednesday did also not make the service of the schedule of documents a condition-precedent for the commencement of trial.

Afterwards, the tribunal admitted the Form EC8C for Agaie Local Government Area of Niger State tendered by the petitioners as Exhibit P1.

The petitioners’ lead counsel had been asked to tender Forms EC8A and EC8B‎ (series of polling unit and ward results) in respect of the said local government area, as of the time of filing this report.

By Babatunde Alao…

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