Presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and that of Labour Party, Peter Obi, have told the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja that they would be calling a total of 150 witnesses to challenge the election of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Out of the 150 witnesses, lead counsel to Atiku, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, said his client would be calling 100 witnesses, while counsel to Obi, Dr. Awa Kalu said his own client will call 50 witnesses .
Both Atiku and Obi are separately challenging the February 25 general election wherein the Independent and National Electoral Commission, INEC declared Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, APC, as winner.
At the continuation of the pre-hearing session yesterday, Atiku told the court that among those he has lined up to testify in the matter, would include expert witnesses and those he would ask the court to compel to mount the witness box.
He added that he would need three weeks to present his case .
“We may not even exhaust the three weeks because the issues are getting narrower, “Atiku’s lawyer, Uche SAN, added.
However , Obi on his own said he would need seven weeks to present his case against Tinubu.
Awa Kalu said; “We seek to use our seven weeks to present our case because of the order of the tribunal directing to allow us carry out forensic examination of BVAS.
“We have agreed that the witnesses classified as star will need 30 minutes to demonstrate any electronic evidence excluding the time for demonstration of video evidence .
“ Parties agreed that the class of witnesses may cross examine for 20 minutes each, and five minutes for re-examination , if any.
“In respect of other witnesses – 10 minutes for evidence in chief , 10 minutes for cross examination, five minutes for any re-examination.
“ In respect of the respondents- star witness – 20minutes for evidence in chief , 30 minutes for cross examination and five minutes for re-examination.
“ In respect of other witnesses who are not star witness , 10minutes for examination in chief , 10minutes for cross examination and five minutes for re-examination”.
He however applied for a slight modification to the effect that it any respondent call a witness and another respondent want to cross examine the same witness , they should do so before the petitioner.
In his own submission, lead counsel to INEC, A.B Mahmoud SAN told the court that it would only call two witnesses and would only need two days to defend Tinubu’s election .
Tinubu’s lead counsel at the proceedings, Roland Otaru SAN, further disclosed that his client would call 39 witnesses to defend his election and would need days nine days to do so.
On its part, the All Progressives Congress, APC, through its counsel ,Solomon Umoh, SAN, said it would also need two days to call 25 witnesses before the court.
Meanwhile , the court has disclosed its intention to consolidate the three different petitions that are seeking to nullify the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
Consequently, it noted that it was empowered by paragraph 50 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act to merge all the petitions and determine them together.
In a related development, the court has banned bringing in of phones and other electronic gadgets into the court room with effect from Monday.
Addressing the court , the secretary of PEPC said the directive was from “above” and that from Monday nobody would be allowed to take phones inside.
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