PDP kick start case against Buhari tenders 5197 exhibits from Niger Yobe

ABUJA – Full-blown legal fireworks commenced before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Thursday, as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, ` Abubakar, opened their case against the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The petitioners, in a bid to prove their allegation that the outcome of the February 23 presidential poll was not the true reflection of voting patterns across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, adduced result sheets from Polling Units, Wards and Local Government levels.

I While the result sheets from the Polling Units were captured in Forms EC8As, those from Wards and LGAs were recorded in Forms EC8Bs and EC8C series.

Meanwhile, the five-member panel tribunal headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, admitted a total of 5197 electoral materials, comprising of the three set of presidential result sheets from Niger and Yobe States, into evidence as exhibits.

While the result sheets from Niger were admitted under Exhibit P series, that of Yobe were marked under Exhibit PYB series.

The tribunal equally admitted and marked as Exhibit P3465, the Certified True Copy of a receipt dated June 7, which the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, issued to the petitioners following a payment they made to procure the entire forms.

Whereas a total of 3465 exhibits from 25 LGA in Niger State were admitted, a total of 1732 exhibits were tendered from 17 LGAs in Yobe State.

Remarkably, INEC, through its team of lawyers led by Mr. Yunus Usman, SAN, opposed the admissibility of all the exhibits, including the receipt.

Yobe