By Ameh Ochojila, Abuja
A witness of Mr. Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP), Ijeoma Osama, yesterday, disagreed with the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the Presidential Election petition court, PEPC, over the true position of the electoral body regarding the transmission of the results of the 2023 general elections.
At the resumed sitting, Osama, a staff of Daar Communication Ltd, AIT, tendered before the court a video evidence containing live speeches of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmood.
The video evidence, contained in a FlashDrive, which was admitted as an exhibit and also played in the open court, showed a live broadcast of the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud reassuring Nigerians of the commitment of the commission to transmit the election results in real-time.
However, during cross-examination, the counsel to the APC, Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, who led the proceedings, asked the witness if she was aware of any press conference held at a later time by INEC before the election where the commission clarified to Nigerians that the election can no longer be transmitted electronically.
Osama responded that she was not aware of such a press conference and held her grounds that such a press conference did not take place as she was responsible for covering commission activities and that she would have known if that happened.
The senior lawyer drew her attention to a copy of The Tribune newspaper dated February 23, which reported that “National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has clarified that raw figures of election results would not be transmitted electronically by his Commission.”
The witness insisted she was not aware that any press briefing clarified that raw figures of the election would not be transmitted.
An attempt to present the copy of the Tribune newspapers to the court as evidence, however, was rejected by the court, which advised the counsel to the APC to hold on to the evidence if he wishes to tender to court till the presentation of their case.
Meanwhile, the presidential elections petitions court adjourned continuation of hearing to Monday, June 19.
Source: The Guardian
