‘Obi not qualified to contest’ | ‘25% of FCT votes not needed’ — highlights of Wednesday’s tribunal session

A witness of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima told the election petition court on Wednesday that 25 percent of the votes cast in the federal capital territory (FCT) is not a criterion for winning the election.

Here are the major takeaways from the proceedings

‘OBI NOT QUALIFIED TO CONTEST’

Tinubu and Shettima, through their lawyer Wole Olanipekun, told the court that Peter Obi was not a registered member of the Labour Party (LP) at the time he contested the presidential election.

The president and his deputy tendered a copy of the LP membership register for Anambra state.

The respondents’ lawyer displayed the document alongside LP’s letter, which is dated April 25, 2022.

The letter indicated that the membership register was forwarded to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Olanipekun tendered 12 sets of documents in evidence during the hearing.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER SERVES AS WITNESS

Opeyemi Bamidele, senator representing Ekiti central and the majority leader of the senate, was called as Tinubu and Shettima’s first witness.

Bamidele said 10,929 votes were deducted from the total number of votes polled by APC in Kano state.

On allegations of drug trafficking against the president, the senator said Tinubu was never convicted in the US, adding that no charge was filed against him in any court.

The legislator was shown the LP voter register to identify whether or not Obi’s name was in it.

He confirmed that Obi’s name was not in the register, which the LP submitted to INEC on April 25, 2022.

‘25% VOTES IN FCT NOT NEEDED TO BECOME PRESIDENT’

Under cross-examination in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bamidele, who was presented as the second and third witness of the respondents, admitted that Tinubu polled only 19 percent of votes cast in the FCT. 

Bamidele said 25 percent of FCT votes is not needed to declare a candidate winner of the presidential election.

The senate majority leader told the court that the judgment of a US court on forfeiture of $460,000 by the president was a civil suit and not a criminal matter.

Bamidele was the only witness called by the president and his vice.

The respondents subsequently proceeded to close their case.

APC: WE WON’T WHIP DEAD HORSES

Lateef Fagbemi, APC counsel, said the party would not tender evidence or call witnesses in the petitions filed by Obi and Atiku Abubakar.

Fagbemi said the evidence adduced by the second and third respondents was enough to support the case of the APC.

“Having taken a sober reflection of the entire case we have enough evidence and we are not calling any witness,” he said.

“We do not intend to whip dead horses. We announce the closure of the case of the 3rd respondent.”

PARTIES TO FILE AND EXCHANGE FINAL ADDRESSES

The five-member panel of the court, headed by Haruna Tsammani, directed all respondents in the suit to file their final brief of argument within 10 days while the petitioners have seven days to submit theirs.

The respondents were also directed to get their reply to the petitioners’ address five days after they must have been served.

The court said the date for the adoption of the final written addresses would be communicated to all parties.