Obi’s lawyer says INEC’s ‘contradictions’ show it’s ‘not read to defend this case’
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Numerous “contradictions” and “inconsistencies” in the submission by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not allow it to defend its case at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), Livy Izoukwu, SAN, lead counsel for Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, has argued.
“Given the contradictions and inconsistencies and what INEC has done; I’m sure they are not read to defend this case.
“I stand to be proven wrong, but I would wish that they defend this matter so that the public will see more things of what happened to this election.” Izoukwu told Arise News on Monday outside the court where the electoral umpire applied for adjournment of its defence to today claiming all its three witnesses could not make it to court.
The PEPC granted the request and adjourned the hearing until today. By the schedule of the court, which all parties agreed to at the pre-hearing stage, the INEC has three days to respond to allegations leveled against it by petitioners challenging its declaration of Bola Tinubu as President.
Tinubu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also has allotted days to respond to the allegations he was not qualified to contest for Aso Rock and did not score the majority of lawful votes cast in the election on February 25.
Apart from LP and Obi, both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Atiku Abubakar also seeking in court the nullification of Tinubu’s election.
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INEC failure to produce witnesses is ‘a waste of fuel,’ says Okonkwo
Elsewhere, LP spokesman Kenneth Okonkwo slammed the INEC over its failure to begin its defence, saying the Commission might have had a ”technical glitch,” which led to the absence of its witnesses, per reporting by Daily Post.
INEC lead counsel Abubakar Balarabe Mahmood, SAN told the court his plan to call three witnesses to counter the allegations of the LP and Obi.
He pleaded with the court to bear with him while applying for an adjournment until today.
But Okonkwo countered that the inability of the INEC to open its defence amounted to a waste of fuel, which price he accused the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of raising beyond the reach of most Nigerians.
“Today was slated for INEC to open their case at the Presidential Election Petition Court. Not surprisingly, they failed to produce any witness, claiming their witness disappointed them,” he posted on Twitter.
“Must INEC continue to have a ‘technical glitch’ even in their own case? What a waste of fuel, which [price] this APC government has raised beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians like us.
“The petition is adjourned to tomorrow, July 4, 2023, for the continuation of the hearing.”
