Again, INEC rejects Obi’s request to tender exhibits in 17 states against Tinubu’s election

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,
vehemently objected to a request by the presidential candidate of the Labour
Party (LP) Mr Peter Gregory Obi and his party to tender exhibits in 17 states
of the federation against the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The exhibits, mainly form EC8B used by the electoral body in
collating results at the ward level of the states during the February 25
presidential election were opposed to be tendered by INEC which issued the
exhibits to Obi and the Labour Party.

Represented at the Presidential Election Petition Court,
PEPC, by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Steve Adehi, INEC while opposing the
admissibility of the documents, however, informed the court to give rationale
for his objections at the address stage of the proceedings.

Obi’s lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Mr Benbella
Anachebe, while introducing the documents, explained that the exhibits were
obtained from the custody of INEC.

Besides, Anachebe said that the documents were duly
certified by the electoral body before releasing them to his clients.

Apart from INEC, which conducted the election in dispute, President
Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), who were declared
winners of the poll, also kicked against the admission of the exhibits.

However, in line with the pre-hearing report and and
agreements of counsel, reasons for the objections are to be reserved at the
address stage of the hearing of the petition.

The states where the exhibits were tendered and admitted are
Adamawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Sokoto, Delta and Ekiti.

Others are Imo, Kaduna, Oyo, Cross River, Edo, Akwa Ibom and
Lagos.

That of Ebonyi was put off on the grounds that INEC was yet
to make the exhibits available to the two petitioners.

Breakdown of the exhibits showed that the collated Ward
results were tendered in 21 local government areas of Adamawa, 8 in Bayelsa, 23
in Benue, 21 in Kogi, 11 in Nasarawa, 25 in Niger, 18 in Ondo, 23 in Sokoto and
25 in Delta.

The rest are 11 local government areas of ekiti state, 25 in
Imo, 21 in Kaduna, 27 in Oyo, 18 in Cross River, 15 in Edo, 31 in Akwa Ibom and
20 in Lagos.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon
Tsammani has adjourned further hearing in the petition till June 7.