Present 100 Witnesses Against Tinubu’s Victory, Tribunal Tells Atiku

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and candidate for president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been granted a three-week period to call 100 witnesses in support of his case contesting the legitimacy of Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election by the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja. 

It was disclosed that 166 witnesses would testify in this case in a pre-hearing report delivered on Tuesday by Justice Haruna Tsammani, the chair of the five-member panel. The tribunal made it clear and requires Atiku to Present 100 witnesses against Tinubu and the All Progressive Congress who are the first defendants in the case.

The report emphasized that important petition witnesses would be permitted to deliver their written depositions, make oral arguments, and, if required, identify pertinent documents.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was given two days to provide its defense, but the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were each given five days to respond to the petition.

When reading the pre-hearing report, Justice Stephen Adah further mentioned that Atiku’s petition had been combined with those submitted by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Mr Peter Obi, the candidate for the Labour Party (LP).