President Bola Tinubu, his Vice, President Kashim Shettima, and the All Progressives Congress on Wednesday closed their defence in the petition of Peter Obi and the Labour Party, LP, against the declaration of the former Lagos State Governor as the winner of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.
The three defendants also tendered several documents, including the membership register of the Labour Congress.
Counsel for Tinubu and Shettima, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), informed the Presidential Election Petition Court that they are closing their case after the testimony of their sole witness.
Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), counsel for the APC, also informed the court that they have no witness and relied on the witnesses called by other respondents.
Following the closure of their defence, the five-member panel, presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani, said a date for the final written addresses would be communicated.
Tsammani assigned 10 days each to the respondents, seven days to the petitioners, with five days for reply.
Earlier, Tinubu through his counsel tendered some documents in support of their defence.
The documents tendered were letter from the Nigeria Police to the United States Embassy, dated February 3, 2003; and letter from the United States Embassy to the Nigeria Police, dated February 4, 2003.
Others are US Visas and immigration documents between 2011 and 2021; copy of Report of the Committee on the Location of the Federal Capital of Nigeria; and certified by Archives and History Bureau of the FCT.
Tendered also were copy of Form EC 8D for Kano State in respect of the February 25, 2023 presidential election; copy of Form EC 8D (A); and copy of Form EC8D in respect of the presidential election of February 25, 2023.
Also tendered and admitted were a list of registered members of the Labour Party and membership list of the LP for Anambra State.
This was to claim that Obi is not a member of the labour party.
After the tendering of documents, Olanipekun called their sole witness, who is the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, to testify.
Being cross examined by Fagbemi, the witness told the court that the February 25 presidential election results for APC in Kano State were recorded with a shortfall of 10,292 votes against Tinubu.
Bamidele added that Obi ‘s name was not contained in the membership list of the LP submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Being cross examined by counsel to Obi, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), the witness agreed that there was a report by the European Union election observers in Nigeria and it was tendered through him in evidence.
On whether the letter from the United States Embassy to the Nigeria Police, dated February 4, 2003, addresses the issues of criminal allegation against Tinubu, the witness said the Nigeria Police letter to the US requested for search for general criminal records against Tinubu.
He added that therefore the US letter, which cleared Tinubu of criminal conviction, was an appropriate response.
Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), counsel for INEC, told the court that they have no cross examination.
Obi and his Labour Party are petitioners in the petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023 challenging the election which brought Tinubu into power.