• President tenders LP’s membership list, other documents in defence, closes case
A Witness, Senate Majority Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday, told the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that President Bola Tinubu did not need to score 25 per cent of votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to be declared winner of the February 25 election.
The witness, when cross-examined by Eyitayo Jegede, counsel for Atiku Abubakar and People Democratic Party (PDP), said although Abuja is the federal capital, it has no special status besides being a federal capital city.
When asked if Tinubu would be first to be declared president without scoring 25 per cent of votes in the FCT and without winning his home state, the witness said it did not matter, since he had met requirements of the law.
Also, Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, yesterday, tendered as evidence Labour Party’s (LP) membership registration list, which purportedly excluded the name of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Wole Olanipekun, counsel for Tinubu, tendered the documents.
A breakdown of the documents, which were admitted as exhibit, despite opposition from LP include: a letter from the Nigeria Police to the United States Embassy, dated February 3, 2003; a letter from the United States Embassy to the Nigeria Police, dated February 4, 2003; and United States visa and immigration documents between 2011 and 2021. The documents, 18 in all, were duly admitted and marked accordingly.
Also tendered and admitted was a list of registered LP members for Anambra State, purporting to show that Obi is not a member of the party.
While INEC and All Progressives Congress (APC) did not object to tendering and admission of the documents as exhibit, PDP and Atiku protested vehemently.
