By Doris Israel Ijeoma
The Presidential Election Petition Court has postponed the hearing in the petition filed by Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. The court has announced that the hearing will resume on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
The adjournment was necessary because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was unable to present its defense due to the absence of three crucial witnesses.
It is worth noting that INEC had been given a week from the day the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Atiku Abubakar concluded their case on June 23, 2023.
During their case, the PDP and Atiku Abubakar presented 27 witnesses to support their claims. Similarly, the Labour Party and Peter Obi concluded their case on the same day, bringing forward 13 witnesses and submitting important documents as evidence. The court duly accepted these documents as exhibits.
The central point of contention in this dispute is the allegation that INEC did not conduct the election in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act (2022). The petitioners argue that INEC had promised to transmit the presidential election results electronically through the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System and INEC Results Viewing Portal, but failed to fulfill this commitment.
Additionally, the Labour Party and Peter Obi have accused the elections of being marred by irregularities, which raises doubts about the legitimacy of the election outcome.
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