Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, has requested seven weeks to produce 50 witnesses to testify and tender evidence that the 2023 presidential election was rigged against him. This request was made during the proceedings on the petition that Obi filed to challenge the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Obi’s team of lawyers, headed by Prof. Awa Kalu, SAN, made the request, citing a few hiccups they encountered at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and explained that they needed more time to establish their case. The lawyers also agreed that star witnesses would be given 30 minutes to present their evidence-in-chief, and 20 minutes would be allotted each party to cross-examine the witnesses, with an additional five minutes for re-examination.
However, INEC, through its lawyer, Mr Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, denied having any agreement with Obi or the Labour Party on allocating time to the witnesses and denied being aware of any hiccups faced by the petitioners. INEC also stated that they require three days to present two witnesses.
Bola Tinubu’s lawyer, Roland Otaru, SAN, and counsel for the APC, Niyi Akintola, SAN, stated that they would require nine days and seven witnesses for the defence respectively, while all respondents requested a 48-hour notice before any expert witness is brought to testify.
It remains to be seen if Obi’s request for seven weeks to produce witnesses will be granted by the Presidential Election Petition Court.
