Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), have closed their defense difficult the get together’s victory within the 2023 Presidential elections by the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi.
The President and his Vice by way of their counsel, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Wole Olanipekun, introduced the closure of the defense in opposition to the petition on Wednesday, after calling one witness Mr. Mikel Bamidele who’s the Senate Majority chief.
The counsel to APC, Lateef Fagbemi, who didn’t name any witness to defend his shopper’s election victory, additionally introduced to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) of his choice to close his case.
Fagbemi knowledgeable the court docket that he’s happy with the proof supplied by the witness of the second respondent (Tinubu, Shettima) in defense of the 2023 Presidential election victory.
He stated, “we have established our case from the witness of the second respondent. No need to call any witness.”
The Chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Panel, Justice Haruna Simon Tsamani, thereafter gave the respondents ten days inside which to file their written addresses, whereas petitioners seven days to file theirs in accordance with the legislation.
Five days was allotted for reply by the respondents.
In an oral testimony, the newly elected Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Bamidele, who turned out to be President Tinubu’s sole witness, when re-examined by counsel to APC Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN), advised the court docket that Obi’s identify is just not contained within the membership listing of the LP submitted to the INEC.
The witness additionally advised the court docket that the February 25 presidential election outcomes for APC in Kano state have been recorded with a shortfall of 10,292 votes in opposition to Tinubu.
During cross examination by counsel to Obi and LP, Dr Livy Uzoukwu, (SAN) who requested if the witness was conscious of EU’s stories on the election, the witness agreed that, there’s a report and it was tendered by way of him in proof.
On whether or not the letter from the United States Embassy to the Nigeria Police, dated February 4, 2003 addresses problems with alleged legal allegation in opposition to President Tinubu, the witness stated the Nigeria police letter to the US requested for seek for normal Criminal data in opposition to President Tinubu and that due to this fact the US letter which cleared Tinubu of legal conviction was an acceptable response.
