Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have seen their case against President Bola Tinubu at the presidential election tribunal take a major nosedive as not even one of the 27 witnesses called to testify against the President could produce a single convincing evidence to substantiate their case.
According to the legal counsel to the president, Wole Olanipekun, the testimonies of all 27 witnesses that closed the case of the PDP on June 23 are “a panoply of hearsay, admissions against interest, and irrelevancies”.
Olanipekun praised Tinubu’s sole witness, Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Majority Leader, asserting that he discredited the petitioners’ case.
“This witness demonstrated unquestionable competence in testifying about the subjects presented before the court,” Olanipekun said.
He highlighted Bamidele’s expertise as a US practicing attorney and counselor at law, as well as his role in the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2022, shedding light on the appropriate modes of transmission, transfer, and collation of election results.
Based on the arguments and submissions made in the final address, Tinubu’s legal team urged the court to dismiss the petition for being devoid of merit, substance, and good faith.
Olanipekun further condemned the abusive nature of the petition, expressing that it relied on non-existent documents sourced from the internet.
He characterized the submission as a blatant misuse of the court’s process.
Atiku and the PDP had alleged that Tinubu was ineligible to run for office, citing drugs trafficking charges in the United States, forged academic certificates submitted to INEC, and Tinubu’s supposed citizenship in Guinea.
The petitioners also accused INEC of manipulating the election in favor of Tinubu.