ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has admitted in evidence the complete data analysis reports and appendices by a star witness of the Labour Party (LP) and Peter Obi, Professor Eric Uwadiegwu Ofoedu.
The five-member panel presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents on Thursday after the respondents agreed to waive the cross-examination till later.
The witness, Professor Ofoedu, a professor of mathematics at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, who the LP subpoenaed also tendered IREV scores investigation analysis reports and blurred downloads from Benue and Rivers states.
Lawyers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN); Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, Wole Olanipekun (SAN); and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) had initially objected to the tendering of the evidence because they were not served on time to enable them to study them.
However, after counsel for the LP, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) explained that they were only able to file the witness statements on oath on Wednesday which left them with only Thursday morning to serve the respondents, the respondents agreed to allow the witness to adopt his documents and to cross-examine him later.
Meanwhile, the justices were forced to stand down the matter to enable the LP lawyers and witness organise paragraphs of their documents.
