Presidential Tribunal: Buhari set to open defence, as INEC refuses to call witnesses

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday formally open his defence, as the hearing in the petition brought by the PDP challenging Buhari’s election in the ongoing Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) continues.

The PDP wants the tribunal to set aside the result of the February 23 election where Buhari was declared the winner of the election by INEC.

However, Buhari’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun on Monday requested to be allowed to open his client’s case to which no objection was raised by the other parties.

Consequently, the chairman of the panel, Justice Mohammed Garba has fixed 2pm Tuesday for the president legal team to open their defence.

In another development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday told the tribunal that it does not need to open its defence in then petition brought against it by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Blueprint reports that the petitioners had rested their case after calling 62 witnesses.

Meanwhile, when called upon by the tribunal to open his case on Monday, the commission lawyer Yunus Ustaz Usman, said it would not be necessary on the grounds that the evidence extracted from the petitioners’ witnesses during cross –examination was in support of their case.

He said, “The witness who were presented by the petitioners said nothing to warrant an opening of defence at the tribunal.

“We have painstakingly reviewed the evidence of the petitioners’ witnesses and studied the documents thatb was brought by them.

“The evidence in question support bour defence and denial and we do not see any reason to waste court’s time by repeating what the witness have already admitted,” Usman added.

Subsequently, the second respondent, President Buhari, said he will open his defence on Tuesday by 2pm.

In the same vein, APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi said the evidence alluded by Buhari’s witness would determined whether the party would open its defence later.

Also, the petitioners’ lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu praised INEC’s legal team for not calling witnesses, saying it would save time.

While speaking to newsmen after the proceeding, INEC lawyer, said the commission saw no reason to enter any defence since expert witnesses that were produced by the petitioners admitted that they never saw any server through which results of the presidential poll were transmitted.

“The witness also confirmed that purported presidential election results the petitioners tendered before the tribunal were not documents that were downloaded from INEC’s server.

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