Title: EU Report Admitted as Evidence in Presidential Election Petition Court
In a significant turn of events at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), a certified true copy of the European Union Electoral Observer Mission’s final report on the 2023 general elections has been admitted as evidence. The mission, comprising 110 observers from 25 EU member states, along with Norway, Switzerland, and Canada, highlighted enduring systemic weaknesses and called for legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability.
President Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had initially objected to the admissibility of the report, dismissing it as a product of poorly conducted research.
However, INEC’s sole witness, Dr. Lawrence Boyade, maintained that the disputed election was free, fair, and in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act. He also provided documents related to glitches and the cloud trial log, which were admitted as exhibits amid objections from the petitioners’ counsel.
Furthermore, INEC’s counsel presented letters from the APC, announcing the withdrawal of Kashim Shettima from the Borno Central senatorial district election, emphasizing that any glitch or electronic upload did not affect the integrity of the election results. The witness confirmed that the presidential election, won by Mr. Tinubu, was conducted manually, as electronic collation of results was deemed infeasible by INEC in a pre-election notice.
Today, President Tinubu will present his case in defense of his victory in response to the petition filed by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Overall, the admission of the EU report adds weight to the ongoing election petition proceedings, shedding light on the need for further reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system.