Today, Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate who claimed that the presidential election held on February 25 was rigged in favor of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), called his first witness to testify before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja.
The witness, Mr. Lawrence Nwakaeti from Ihiala in Anambra state, presented a document related to a court proceeding in the United States of America (USA) regarding Tinubu’s alleged involvement in a drug-related case.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not oppose the admissibility of the document, while Tinubu and the APC vehemently opposed it, reserving their reasons for their final arguments.
In a panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, the five-member court admitted the document as evidence and marked it as Exhibit PA-5.
During cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, the witness confirmed his participation as a registered voter in the February 25 presidential election, emphasizing that he only exercised his civic duty without any other involvement.
Chief Wole Olanipekun, the lead counsel for Tinubu, questioned the witness about his visit to the USA, to which the witness confirmed visiting Michigan in 2003. Olanipekun then inquired about the witness’s deposition regarding a fine of $460,000 imposed on the second respondent.
The witness stood by his statement, despite Olanipekun pointing out that the document presented contained no mention of any fine.
The witness clarified that the document was not registered in Nigeria but was duly certified.
However, there was no certificate from any consular or police officer regarding the alleged offense. Prince Lateef Fagbemi, the lead counsel for the APC, also questioned the witness about a clearance letter from the Legal Attaché to the US Embassy, dated February 4, 2003, which purportedly cleared Tinubu of any involvement in the drug-related case.
The witness stated that he was not aware of such a letter.
The proceedings continue as both sides present their arguments and evidence before the Presidential Election Petition Court.
