Good morning and Welcome to today’s presidential election petition tribunal….
As usual, we would be taking you through the processes…
Grab your Popcorn 🍿….
You could see the HD screen for the display of video evidence….
PO just walked into the court
The lawyers are all seated and we are all
waiting for the judges.
The Secretary just walked in and made an announcement. Someone stole a laptop belonging to a lawyer yesterday. The laptop was stolen during PDP’s Case The CCTV picked up the face of the person who stole the laptop and they are actively searching for him.
Everyone has been advised to hold their properties close and watchful since people are now stealing in the courtroom They won’t even take you to court, you’d go straight to prison.
The other day they stole a baby lawyer’s wig and gown. A lawyer that has not even started shouting my lord if I may, may I.
The judges are now seated.
Justice Tsammani: Good Morning everyone, let’s get full cooperation today. Remember today is Friday so let’s be timely. The clerk has now announced the case.
Peter Obi is now with the microphone with a face full of smile
Peter Obi: Respectfully my lord, I am Mr. Peter Gregory Obi for the petitioners.
The APC representative is also here Saturday Monsignia: May it please this honourable court, I am Saturday Monsignia Esquire, Deputy Director Legal Services APC. This one Saturday has started adding Esquire to his name, he doesn’t use to say it before oh, he wants to oppress us that are Esquire by association.
Lead Counsel:
Labour Party – SAN LIVY UZOUKWU
INEC – SAN AB MAHMOUD
Tinubu and Shetimma – SAN AKIN OLUJIMI
APC: SAN LO FAGBEMI.
LP Counsel Representation:
Dr Livy Uzoukwu ( LEAD)
Awa Kalu
PIN Ikweto
Ben Anachebe
Ukechuwu Ezechukwu
Valerie Janet
Emeka Okpowu
Peter Afuba
Audu Anuga
All SAN!
PIN Ikwueto Is Handling Proceedings For Today
Will Continue with Cross Examination Of PW4 (Prof Eric Ufoedu of NAU) !
AB Mahmood SAN Is Cross Examining the Witness (W)
AB: Where were you on election day?
W: At my polling unit and I voted
AB: Your voting went on smoothly?
AB: And you were commissioned to produce this result?
W: I was requested to produce it
AB; you were paid for it?
W: No I wasn’t
AB: you acted as a patriotic Nigerian?
W: yes AB: going by the terms of reference in your witness statement on oath (WSOO) in para 3. The primary source of your data was irev portal?
W: yes
AB: in your WSOO you made reference to EC8A and report uploaded on irev. You are referring to the same thing?
W: not really
AB: what are you referring to?
W: the means the EC8A are uploaded
AB: in your entire analysis. The form EC8A uploaded on the portal is all you could see?
W: not really.
AB: what else
W: they are many blurred images of EC8A
AB: Prof, when you were referring to blurred images of EC8A, you are not suggesting that the hard copies must also be blurred
W: I didn’t see the physical copies.
AB: In all your review, you didn’t see anything on the portal that suggest that there is an electronic collation system.
W: the irev portal is electronic collation system
AB: are you suggesting that the portal is capable of collating and tabulating the election result?
W: it is not capable of doing that AB: in your wsoo you made reference to 18,000 polling unit with blurred result then you used LP agents results (pg 8) In appendix E
Please Note that AB Mahmood SAN that is cross Examining Prof Eric is INEC Counsel NOT INEC Chairman!
AB: did you attach them to your report
W: I didn’t
AB: you aren’t an election expert
W: it depends on what you mean
AB: what do you understand to be expert. I suggest that there is no way you would have been able to undertake the task in page 2 para 3
W: I can determine it
AB: when did you conclude your assignment?
W: 19th March
AB: look at that page. That is PCB2
AB: read out the LGA W: Degema LGA, Polling unit ward 007 (while looking at the results)
AB: Accredited voter is 40, Voters is also 40? No over voting correct?
W: No over voting.
AB has rested for INEC for now
2nd and 3rd Respondents’ ( BAT & SHET) council will cross examine Prof Eric Next
Olujimi Akin SAN for 2nd & 3rd Respondents W for
Witness O: votes are cast at the polling unit?
W: yes O: at the end of the election. The votes cast will be sorted counted and recorded in EC8A?
W: yes
O: it is the image of this EC8A that will be translated to the irev?
W: yes
O: the hard copy of EC8A will be taken by the presiding officer to the ward collation center?
W: yes
O: the statutory channel of collation is from poling unit to ward to LGA to state to national?
W: Yes
O: it is part of your claim in your reports that some forms you downloaded from irev were blurred..will I be correct to say that whether transmission of the results from polling unit to irev failed or what you downloaded to irev wasn’t blurred it won’t change the result at the polling unit?
W: it will not change if it is properly used O: irev is not a collation center. True? W: it is not a collation center
O: Your report covers only two state. Benue and Rivers.
W: yes
O: did you tender from Oyo?
W: No
O: did you tender for any other state?
W: you are asking the question and smiling so I don’t know what to say
Court: this is hot between senior advocate of the law and senior advocate of maths (Everyone laughs)
O: did you tender for any other state?
W: you are asking the question and smiling so I don’t know what to say
W: so, no I didn’t tender for any other state
O: if you had more data you worked with, your result would have been different?
W: Yes
O: in your wsoo , at para 2B page 2 you listed data analysis practical experience. You have not claimed in this wsoo to have done any analysis for a court case in an election matter like this.
W: no I haven’t O: At para 3(b) part of your mandate was to determine whether the result matched with IREV?.
W: No O: you were also requested to determine in advance, inec compliance with the electoral act and inec regulations ?
To be continued…!!!