The Independent National Electoral
Commission has said it will not call any witness to defend its case against
former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Presidential
candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his party before the Presidential Tribunal
in Abuja.
Atiku and the PDP are by their
petition challenging the outcome of February 23, 2019 presidential election
which INEC declared was won by President Muhammadu Buhari and his All
Progressives Congress.
After presenting 62 witnesses,
Atiku and the PDP rested their case.
The tribunal, led by Justice
Mohammed Garba adjourned further proceedings till Monday for INEC to open its
defence.
But when called upon by the
tribunal to open his case on Monday, INEC’s lawyer, Yunus Usman (SAN), said it
would not be necessary on the grounds that the evidence extracted from the
petitioners’ witnesses during cross-examination was in support of the
commission’s case.
He said, “We have painstakingly
reviewed the evidence of petitioners’ witnesses. We have also painstakingly
studied the petitioners’ evidence under cross-examination, which supports our
defence and our denial in consonance with our pleadings.
“My lords, we do not see the need
to waste your lordship’s precious time by repeating what their witnesses have
repeated under cross-examination. In that circumstance, we will not call any
witness to help them prove their case. We, therefore, rely on the evidence of
their witness under cross-examination.”
Responding, Buhari’s lawyer,
Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), requested to be allowed to open his client’s case
at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi
(SAN), said his decision on whether or not to call witnesses would depend on
the case to be presented by Buhari’s legal team.
According to the PUNCH, the
petitioners’ lawyer, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), thanked INEC’s legal team for not
calling witnesses.
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