Peter Obi Submits Voter Registration Data from 32 States in Challenge to Tinubu's Election Victory

Peter Obi, the Labour Party's presidential candidate in the recently concluded general elections, has taken a significant step in his challenge to President Bola Tinubu's victory. Obi's legal team appeared before the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, where they submitted certified true copies (CTCs) of documents containing detailed information on the total number of registered voters and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from 32 states across the federation.

On March 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the presidential contest. However, Obi's lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), presented compelling evidence in the form of electoral documents to challenge the outcome.

The submitted documents include CTCs of supplementary INEC Results Viewing reports pertaining to selected local government areas in Benue, Cross River, Lagos, and Gombe states. Additionally, a certificate of compliance regarding the conduct of the presidential poll in Edo State was tendered.

While the representatives of INEC did not oppose the admissibility of the documents, Tinubu's legal team, represented by Wole Olanipekun and Lateef Fagbemi, both SANs, objected to their admission. They promised to provide reasons supporting their objections during the final arguments of the case.

During the court proceedings, more witnesses were called by Peter Obi's legal team to substantiate their claims. One of the witnesses, Chubuike Ugwuoke, a cyber security expert, presented a press statement issued by INEC in November 2022, debunking allegations of abandoning the transmission of polling unit results to the IReV portal. This statement played a crucial role in establishing the electoral guidelines that were not followed during the presidential election.

Another witness, Onoja Sunday, who works at the Women & Child Rescue Initiative, testified that electoral officials failed to upload the presidential election results to the IReV portal. Similarly, Kefas Iya, a civil servant and ad-hoc staff member during the election, revealed that INEC officials were unable to transmit the polling unit results in Adamawa State, where the PDP's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was reported to have won.

The court adjourned the hearing until the following day, allowing time for the objections to be addressed. Peter Obi's submission of the voter registration data from 32 states has significantly bolstered his case as he continues to challenge Tinubu's election victory.