The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has tendered four sets of documents before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in respect of the petition of the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Among the documents tendered are the Form EC9 of President Bola Tinubu, who is the second respondent in the petition.
Recall that the Court, following an application by Atiku, issued a subpoena on Mahmood in respect of certain documents relating to the conduct of the February 25 presidential election.
The INEC boss was expected to tender the said documents before the court on Thursday but the said documents were however tendered on Mahmood’s behalf by a Deputy Director, Certification and Complaints, Legal Drafting and Clearance Department, INEC Headquarters, Abuja, Mrs Moronkeji Tairu.
Counsel to Atiku and PDP Chris Uche SAN disclosed that the petitioners in the application of May 26 listed 11 items for the INEC boss to bring before the court.
However, Mrs Tairu observed that only four items requested by the petitioners were brought on Thursday, adding that the items are Form EC8D series (results from states), EC8DA (final declaration of results), Certified True Copies (CTCs) of Rivers Bi-modal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) report, BVAS report from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Form EC9 of Tinubu (personal information supplied by Tinubu to INEC in aid of his qualification for the presidential election).
Although, INEC lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud SAN, joined Tinubu and APC’s lawyer to object to the admissibility of the documents, the court however admitted them as exhibits.
Uche while responding to INEC’s position that the certified documents have not been paid for, reiterated that the petitioners so far paid the sum of N6.7 million to INEC for certification, adding that the documents brought before the court were court subpoenaed documents.
The former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had dragged President Bola Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC) to court, protesting the process and eventual outcome of the presidential election which produced Tinubu as President.
Justice Haruna Tsamani adjourned for further hearing on the petition to June 16.
Dominica Nwabufo
