Tribunal: Obi’s Exhibits from 12 States admitted in evidence 

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC on Friday admitted exhibits from the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi in additional six states in his quest to establish rigging and other electoral malpractices that led to his loss in the February 25 presidential election.

Obi and the Labour Party had on Thursday tendered exhibits from six states comprising Rivers, Benue, Cross River, Niger, Osun and Ekiti States.

However, at Friday’s proceedings, the presidential candidate and his party tendered exhibits in six other states including Adamawa, Bayelsa, Oyo, Edo, Lagos and Akwa Ibom.

The exhibits, comprising forms EC8A used in the February 25 presidential election and certified by the National Electoral Commission INEC as true copies of the original, were admitted as exhibits.

Breakdown of the fresh exhibits showed that forms EC8A were admitted in 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa, 8 in Local Government Areas of Bayelsa, 31 Local Government Areas of Oyo, 18 Local Government Areas of Edo, 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos and 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom.

The winner of the election, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that conducted the election hinted the Court of their intentions to object to the documents at the final stage of address.

At the close of Friday’s proceedings, Peter Obi through his counsel, Mr Peter Afoba SAN, informed the court that they have exhausted documents at their disposal for the day.

Afoba applied to the court to consider the admitted documents as read but the request was opposed by all respondents in the matter.

Meanwhile, further hearing in the petition has been shifted to Monday June 5 by the Presiding Justice of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani.