There are emerging indicators of tension in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and palpable fret over President Muahmmadu Buhari when at the resumption of proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not call single witness to defend its own case that President Buhari actually won the 2019 presidential election. Counsel to the Commission acquainted the Tribunal that it relies on evidence extracted from the cross-examination of the witnesses invited by Atiku and the PDP. National Dailylearned that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had presented 62 witnesses and 5.333 document in evidence to prove their petition that INEC manipulated the 2019 presidential poll in favour of President Buhari and the APC.
Report showed that INEC at the opening stage at the Tribunal denied having server. Later, the commission acknowledged that the law does not permit e-collation of result in the server to declare results. Thus, shifting from the earlier denial of “we have no Server”to the argument – “the law does not allow us to use e-collation in the Server to declare the results;” which many construed as subtle admission of having server.
Reports on the Presidential Tribunal proceedings being monitored by National Daily from Lagos showed that INEC e-manual was tendered and admitted by the tribunal; as the witnesses, INEC election officials, confirmed e-collation; while videos of INEC pre-election announcements of e-collation were tendered and admitted.
It was gathered that INEC on Monday failed to either call witnesses or tender materials in evidence to defend the allegations of manipulation and rigging in favour of the ruling APC and President Buhari.
National Dailyfurther learned that INEC at the proceedings on Monday submitted that the commission will not call any witness to defend its case against the petition of the PDP and Atiku.
INEC counsel, Yunus Usman (SAN), was said to have noted that it would not be necessary on the grounds that the evidence extracted from the petitioners’ witnesses during cross-examination was in support of the commission’s case.
“We have painstakingly reviewed the evidence of petitioners’ witnesses.
“We have also painstakingly studied the petitioners’ evidence under cross-examination, which supports our defence and our denial in consonance with our pleadings.
“My lords, we do not see the need to waste your lordship’s precious time by repeating what their witnesses have repeated under cross-examination.
“In that circumstance, we will not call any witness to help them prove their case.
“We, therefore, rely on the evidence of their witness under cross-examination,” Usman had declared.
President Buhari and APC ares expected to open their defence, henceforth.