An Assistant Presiding Officer (I) during the February 23, 2019, presidential election, Mr. Adedokun Adeoye, on Monday failed to show the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which provision of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s manual authorised him to transmit the results of the poll.
Adoye took the witness stand as the petitioners’ fourth witness at the instance of the Peoples Democratic Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who are by their petition challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress.
Adeoye who was earlier led by the petitioners’ lead counsel, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), to adopt his witness statement on oath as his evidence-in-chief, was cross-examined by the respondents’ lawyers.
While being cross-examined by INEC’s lawyer, Yunus Usman (SAN), Adeoye insisted that he transmitted the results of the election to INEC server after collation.
Buhari’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), confronted the witness with the claim that it was the duty of the Presiding Officer “to transmit the results in the necessary form to INEC”, and not the APO I’s duty.
The witness insisted that it was APO I’s duty to transmit the results.
But when shown the guidelines issued by INEC to point out where it was stated as part of the duty of APO I to transmit results, Adoye could point out the part.
PUNCH
