The fourth witness of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, Mr Peter Obi, has told the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja, that he discovered a total of 18,088 blurred result sheets uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
The witness, Eric Uwadiegwu Ofoedu, a Professor of Mathematics at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, said he carried out an investigation and data analysis of the 2023 Presidential Election results on the IReV portal.
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Led in evidence at Thursday’s proceedings by Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), Ofoedu also told the court that he conducted an analysis of results from Rivers and Benue states respectively and report on his findings.
When the witness was presented before the court, counsel for INEC, A. B. Mahmood (SAN) told the court that he was served the statement in court and he is handicapped on how to go about the proceedings.
He asked the court to grant them time to look at the documents filed and prepare for cross-examination.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC) aligned himself with the submissions of Mahmood (SAN) but however suggested that the witness should adopt his evidence, while they cross-examine him later.
Dr Ikpeazu (SAN) apologised for serving the respondents late but told the court that they just obtained the Subpoena yesterday.
He requested that the witness be allowed to take his evidence in chief while the court determines whether or not cross-examination will be done later.
The Justice Haruna Tsammani-led panel granted the request by the LP and deferred Cross-examination till today.
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. The counsel for INEC and Tinubu/Shettima objected to the admissibility of the letter but did not object to the Subpoena. However, counsel for the APC objected to the subpoena but not the letter.
Justice Tsammani admitted all the documents tendered by the LP as exhibits in the petition. The LP then called their second witness, Lummie Edeveie, a staff member of Arise News TV to present evidence before the court.
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