President Bola Tinubu and APC Close Defence, Present Strong Evidence in Election Victory Case

President Bola Tinubu and APC Close Defence, Present Strong Evidence in Election Victory Case

President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) concluded their defence of their election victory, presenting evidence from Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele to counter allegations by Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP).

During the proceedings, Bamidele presented documents, including a letter from the US Embassy in Nigeria dated February 4, 2003, which cleared Tinubu of any criminal indictment or conviction in the United States.

Bamidele, as a star witness, testified that there was a shortfall of 10,929 votes in Kano State due to improper recording of Tinubu’s votes. He also presented the preliminary report from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) observers, which described the vote counting process as transparent and professional.

Furthermore, Bamidele pointed out that the LP membership register for Anambra State did not include Peter Obi’s name as of April 22, 2022. He emphasized that the forfeiture of funds in a bank account linked to Tinubu was not a criminal conviction but a civil matter.

During cross-examination, Bamidele acknowledged seeing the European Union (EU) Observer Mission final report, and he disagreed with a paragraph in the ECOWAS report that attributed violence to the LP, stating that it was caused by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Bamidele clarified that he did not have a license to practice law in Illinois, where the US Court Judgment on forfeiture originated, and he admitted that he was not an IT expert.

After Bamidele’s testimony, the lead counsel for the APC, Lateef Fagbemi, stated that they would not be calling any further witnesses, as they believed they had presented sufficient evidence.

Notably, when asked if Tinubu was the first to be declared president-elect without securing 25% of the total votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bamidele did not provide a clear answer.

The court granted the respondents 10 days to file their written addresses, while the petitioners were given 7 days to do the same.