Tinubu, Atiku not qualified to be declared President – Witness tells court

Chigozie Ikpo, Abuja

A witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja on Monday, said the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, are not qualified to be returned as President at the February 25 elections.

The witness, Alhaji Mohammed babaji madaki, a Farmer and Chairman of the party in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) told the court that for a Candidate to be declared winner in the Presidential Election, he should score at least 25% of the total votes cast at the FCT.

At Mondays proceedings, the party presented a total of four witnesses.

Led in evidence by Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) representing the party, Madaki told the court that he voted at the election, but did not act as an agent in any capacity for his party in the said election.

Madaki noted that based on the fact that his candidate Atiku and then Tinubu failed to meet up with the required 25% at the elections, they are not qualified to be declared president.

During cross examination, Abdullahi Aliyu SAN asked him if it was his opinion that before a President can be declared, he must score 25% in the FCT and he replied in the negative.

“Did your candidate score 25% in the FCT?

“No.

“According to your statement, since your candidate did not score 25% in the FCT, is he entitled to be returned?” asked the INEC lawyer

“No” Madaki replied

Earlier, a PDP chieftain and former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Abiye Sekibo appeared as a witness of the party at the ongoing tribunal.

Sekibo told the court that he served as a state collation agent for the party and monitored the election in about 20 polling units.

He informed the court that in all the polling units he visited, they were unable to upload the results to the BVAS machine as required by law.

He said that there were huge cases, of violence and intimidation perpetrated by state actors which made electorates to avoid the polling units in some areas especially Obi Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Another witness, Abraham David, a businessman based in the FCT told the court that he was a collation agent for the party at the Nation’s capital during the last election.

During Cross-examination by counsel for the All Progressives Congress, Rotimi Oguneso (SAN) he told the court that the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar is entitled to be returned as winner, despite the fact that he didn’t score 25% at the FCT.

The last witness for the day, Ibrahim Mohammed Hamza, a Human Resources Consultant based in Lafia, Nasarawa state told the court that he was a local government collation agent for the Lafia Municipal area council at the election.

During Cross-examination by Counsel for Tinubu and Shetimma, Chief Wole Olanipekun, he admitted to have signed the Election result but claimed that he signed the result under duress adding it was altered after he had signed it

“I can see my signature but the result does not look the same. The one I signed is a clean copy, but there are cancelations here. This was probably after I had signed them

“I signed the results under duress because there was a threat that without signing it you will not obtain a copy.” he said

“The result was altered after I signed it, I don’t have the copy now, but I sent the one I had to my superior agent at the Federal Capital Territory

Olanipekun then asked, “In the result you have, Labour Party came first with 191,361 votes, are you happy with the result?

“I am not happy with the result, Labour Party cannot come first in Nasarawa state” Hamza replied.