Tinubu, Shettima, APC end defence in Obi, Labour Party (LP) petition
By Emma Ogbuehi
After calling only one witness, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday concluded their defence in the petition by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) before the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC).
Lawyer to Tinubu and Shettma, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) announced the closure of his clients’ case after their sole witness, Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele concluded his testimony.
Olanipekun also tendered 18 sets of documents, including LP’s membership register for Anambra State, which Bamidele claimed did not contain Obi’s name, the implication of which, he averred, was that he was not a member of the party when he contested the last presidential election.
TheNiche had earlier reported that Tinubu and Shettima had argued, in their response to the petition by Obi and the LP, that, not being a member of the party as at the time of the last presidential election, Obi was not qualified to have contested the last election on the platform of the LP.
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Their lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) tendered the document along with LP’s letter, dated April 25, 2022 forwarding the membership register to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The documents were tendered along with other documents at the commencement of the defence of Tinubu and Shettma in the petition by Obi and the LP before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Although lawyer to the petitioners, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN) objected to the admission of the documents, the court admitted them and marked them as Exhibits RA17 and RA18.
Lawyer to the APC, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) said, upon assessing the state of case, his client is satisfied that it has sufficiently made its case and need not call any witness.
He subsequently announced the closure of his client’s case.