The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja on Tuesday ruled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must present a defence in a petition filed against his announcement as the winner of the February 23, 2023, Presidential poll.

The petition was brought by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Obi.

New Telegraph reports that the court’s decision came after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unexpectedly concluded its defence in Obi’s petition.

INEC had initially planned to call three witnesses, but its lead counsel, Mr Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud abruptly announced the closure of their defence during Tuesday’s proceedings.

It was reported that Tinubu’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, assured the court that his client is fully prepared to commence his defence on July 5.
According to Olanipekun, they would present witnesses and documents to substantiate Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election.
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During the proceedings, Dr Lawrence Bayode, INEC’s witness, acknowledged that the electoral body encountered technical glitches during the presidential election.

However, he maintained that these glitches did not impact the conduct of the election, the collation of results, or the declaration of the outcome.

Addressing allegations of blurred result sheets on INEC’s portal, Dr Bayode, the Deputy Director of Information and Communication, stated that clear result sheets can still be obtained upon request.

The court has scheduled the next hearing in the petition for July 5, providing President Tinubu with the opportunity to present his defence and address the allegations raised by the Labour Party and its candidate, Obi.

Tribunal: Court Orders Tinubu To Defend Election Victory

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