Mr Kenneth Okonkwo of the Labour Party, LP, has slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over its failure to begin its defence at the presidential election petition tribunal on Monday.
In a post via his Twitter handle, Okonkwo claimed the electoral commission might have had a ”technical glitch”, leading to the absence of its witnesses.
Media Talk Africa reports that INEC started its defence of the February 25 presidential election on a shaky note, with its witnesses absent at the Court on Monday.
The commission’s lead counsel, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmood, SAN, had informed the court of his plan to call three witnesses to counter LP’s allegations and its Presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Obi.
However, he lamented that none of the witnesses was in court for domestic reasons, pleading with the court to bear with him while applying for an adjournment of his defence.
The court later adjourned to July 4 for the continuation of the hearing.
However, Okonkwo said INEC’s inability to open its defence amounted to a waste of fuel, which he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, government of raising beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.
He wrote, ”Today (sic) was slated for INEC to open their case at the Presidential Election Petition Court. Not surprisingly, they failed to produce any witness, claiming their witness disappointed them. Must INEC continue to have a “technical glitch” even in their own case? What a waste of fuel, which this APC government has raised beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians like us. The petition is adjourned to tomorrow, July 4 2023, for the continuation of the hearing.”
