Presidential Election Petition: “INEC’s Collation Errors Led to Tinubu’s Declaration”- Melaiye 

The national collation agent of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 Presidential Election, Senator Dino Melaiye, has told the Presidential Election Petition Court that election collation errors by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led to the declaration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the election.

Melaiye informed the Court on Friday that he left the National Collation Centre at the International Conference Centre in Abuja when the alleged deliberate errors became unbearable and intolerable to him.

Senator Melaiye testified as a star witness for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar whose joint petition with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is seeking nullification of Tinubu’s declaration as winner of the 2023 Presidential Election.

Led in his evidence-in-Chief by Atiku’s lead counsel, Mr. Chris Uche SAN, the witness said that he refused to sign the final collated results so as not to be part of the corruption and malpractices that allegedly engulfed the collation exercise.

Melaiye, who is the second star witness in the hearing of the petition, insisted that the results which the INEC acted upon to declare Tinubu winner of the February 25 Presidential Election “was wrongly computed by INEC”, adding that “I didn’t endorse it, because I don’t endorse fraud.”

He also told the court that besides himself, many agents of the PDP in the Presidential Election did not also sign the results at various levels.

While responding to questions from Tinubu’s counsel, Chief Akin Olujimi SAN, the witness argued that “failure of transmission of what has been recorded is an infringement of the law”.

He pointed out that electronic transmission of results from the polling units unto the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) is a very important aspect of the election process, arguing that without the IReV, the election circle cannot be said to have been completed.

“Result is transmitted from polling units before you move to the ward collation centre”, he explained, adding that what was brought was at variance with what transpired at the States’ level.

Meanwhile, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, on Friday tendered additional video evidence to support claims that the INEC assured Nigerians of electronic transmission of results of the 2023 General Elections.

The video clip containing live speeches of the INEC’s Chairman Professor Yakubu Mahmood was tendered by Mrs Ijeoma Osamo. a subpoenaed witness and staff of Daar Communication Ltd’s African Independent Television (AIT).

However, during cross-examination by the APC’s lawyer, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko SAN, the witness denied knowledge of any press conference by the INEC where the commission clarified to Nigerians that the election can no longer be transmitted electronically.

Meanwhile, hearing in both petitions have been adjourned until Monday, June 19.