INEC uploaded 18,088 blurred election results into IReV – Obi’s witness tells court

 

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) was on Thursday in Abuja informed that a total of 18,088 blurred result sheets were uploaded into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal after the February 25 presidential election.

A Professor of Mathematics at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka in Anambra State, Eric Uwadiegwu Ofoedu told the Court that he came across the blurred election results while carrying out analysis on them.

Prof Ofoedu is the fourth witness of the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, Mr. Peter Obi whose petition is challenging the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as a winner of the poll.

The witness told the court that he carried out an investigation and data analysis of the 2023 Presidential Election results on the IReV portal.

Led in evidence at Thursday’s proceedings by Obi’s lawyer, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), Ofoedu also told the court that he analyzed results from Rivers and Benue States and a report on his findings made.

His evidence was, however, cut short when INEC lawyer, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmood (SAN) told the court that he had just been served the statement of the witness in court and needed time to peruse it.

He asked the court to step down the witness and grant him time to look at the documents filed and prepared by the witness to enable him cross-examine the witness.

Lead Counsel for Tinubu and Shetimma, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Lateef Fagbemi representing the All Progressives Congress (APC) aligned themselves with the submissions of Mahmood (SAN) but suggested that the witness should adopt his evidence while they cross-examine him later.

The petitioner’s lawyer apologized for serving the respondents late but told the court that they obtained the subpoena on Wednesday.

He requested that the witness be allowed to adopt his evidence in chief while the court determines whether or not cross-examination will be done later.

The Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani-led panel granted the request by the LP and deferred Cross-examination till June 16.

Ikpeazu informed the court about a letter of request written to the witness by the LP, on February 20, asking him to carry out data analysis for the presidential election, as well as the subpoena served on the witness.

The Senior Lawyer tendered all the documents as evidence in the petition before the court.

Counsel for INEC and Tinubu/Shetimma objected to the admissibility of the letter but did not object to the Subpoena.

Justice Tsammani admitted all the documents tendered by the LP as exhibits in the petition.

The petitioners then called their second witness, Lummie Edeveie, a staff of Arise News Television to present evidence before the court.

Led in evidence by Patrick Ikweto (SAN), Edeveie presented a flash drive containing a video which was tendered before the court.

Though the respondents objected to the admissibility of the flash drive as evidence, they did not object to its being played in court.

The application was granted by the court and the video was played in the open court.

The video contained the speech by the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu at the Chatham House in the United Kingdom where he spoke about the elections, gave assurances on the potency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IReV portals ahead of the general elections.

Justice Tsammani after admitting the flash as exhibits adjourned further hearing in the petition to June 16.