The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has accepted two video flash drives as evidence brought by Mr. Peter Obi through a subpoenaed witness to support his case against President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023 was filed by Obi and his Labour Party (LP), challenging the election that brought Tinubu into power. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Vice President Kashim Shettima, and Tinubu are the respondents in the case.
The court, during the proceedings, admitted two video flash drives presented by the subpoenaed witness, Lucky Obowo-Isawode, a reporter and editor from Channels TV. The videos are an interview with the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Mr. Festus Okoye.
The petitioners’ counsel, Levi Uzoukwu, SAN, informed the court of the need for software engineering in the proceedings to allow the video clips to be shown and used as evidence.
The respondents’ counsels including Kemi Pinhero, SAN for INEC, Akin Olujimi, SAN, for President Tinubu and Vice president Shittema, and Afolabi Fashanu, SAN for APC did not object to the witness but objected to the adoption of his statement on oath.
Justice Haruna Tsammani, the lead judge, subsequently ruled that the video flash drives were admissible. Olujimi and Fashanu objected to the video evidence being played on the grounds that the flash drive was not served on them while Pinhero insisted that the video could be played since it has already been admitted as evidence.
The case was adjourned for the video evidence to be played, and for further hearing of the petition.
