In compliance with the order of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on the release of materials used for the February 23, presidential election to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and it’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday said it has obeyed the order, though partially.
The tribunal sitting in Abuja had made the order on Thursday asking INEC to make available some of the documents to the PDP and Atiku who are challenging the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the election.
The order followed the complaints by the petitioners that the subpoenas issued and served on INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, and the commission’s Residential Electoral Commissioner in Zamfara State had not been complied with.
However, INEC counsel, Yunus Usman, who came for other matters at the tribunal was asked by the tribunal chairman, Justice Mohammed Garba if INEC had complied with the order.
Usman told the tribunal that INEC has obeyed the order, saying it was in the process of providing the remaining documents requested by Atiku and his party.
Earlier, the tribunal rejected move by the Hope Democratic Party (HPD) to effect some amendments to the petition it filed, challenging the outcome of the last presidential election won by President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In two rulings on Thursday, a five-man panel of the court was in unanimous in dismissing the two documents filed by HDP and its presidential candidate during the election, Ambrose Owur
In the first ruling, the court dismissed a motion filed by the petitioners on July 1, 2019, seeking to include more witnesses and effective some amendments to their witnesses’ statement on oath.
