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The Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, have accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of refusing to provide requested documents. The LP and Obi are challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu in a petition. They claim that due to INEC’s failure to provide the documents, they are unable to proceed with their case.
LP’s counsel, Mr Jubrin Okutepa, informed the court that none of the requested documents had been provided by INEC. Despite numerous letters and payments made, the requested evidence has not been received.
INEC’s counsel, Mr Abubakar Mahmoud, countered the claim, stating that they had only received one letter from the petitioners and had not been denied any documents. He emphasized the importance of the matter and urged the petitioners to stop their complaints.
Mr Wole Olanipakun, representing Tinubu and Shettima, assured the court that a meeting between senior counsels would be arranged to address the issues raised.
In another development, the petitioners presented their seventh witness, Loretta Ogah, an architect with Amazon Web Services Incorporated (AWS). However, objections were raised by the respondents during the adoption of her witness statement. INEC’s counsel cited the need for time to review the recently provided documents, while the respondents clarified that their objection did not prevent the witness from testifying.
Ultimately, the witness’s employment letter, resumé, reports on AWS dashboard services, and certificates of compliance were admitted as evidence. The court adjourned until Tuesday for the witness’s cross-examination and further proceedings.
The LP and Obi’s allegation of INEC’s refusal to provide documents and the subsequent delays in the court proceedings reflect ongoing tensions in the election challenge. Both parties will need to resolve their differences to ensure a smooth continuation of the case.
