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“Real disaster” happened at the ward collation centres- PDP witness tells panel

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A Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) witness, Nicholas Msheliza on Friday told the presidential election petition court (PEPC) that the real disaster was at ward collation centres.

The witness said this when he was being cross examined by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) counsel, Kemi Pinherio, SAN.

Our correspondent reports that in a petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP are challenging the outcome of the Feb.25 presidential election.

Respondents are INEC, President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Msheliza,the fifth witness of the PDP faulted the conduct of the February 25 election.

Mhshliza, who is the state collation agent for the party in Borno stated that the results obtained from the units were changed at the ward collation center “where the real disaster happened.”

He said results from the Polling Unit and those from the ward were at variance because of the manipulation that took place during the elections.

“The real disaster happened at the ward collation centre which brought in different results from the one we knew.”

He stated further that the results were not electronically transmitted as supposed.

He however, admitted during cross examination by the respondents’ counsel that he did not state the issue of results manipulation in his witness statement.on oath.

This he said was because it was “not possible to have enumerated every thing in the statement.”

Earlier, Sani Kutigi, testified as the fourth witness and state collation agent for Borno .

Silas Onu also testified as the sixth witness and state collation agent for Ebonyi.

Meanwhile, the five-mem panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned the further hearing of the petition until Monday .

Our correspondent recalled that the petitioners told the panel that they are bringing 100 witnesses to prove their petition, so far they have brought six.

It was also reported that INEC since the start of the hearing opposed the admissibility of various documents brought to the Presidential Election Petition Court by the petitioners as exhibits to prove their petitions.

When INEC counsel Kemi Pinhero,SAN was approached by the newsmen to know why, he declined saying that he does not want to engage in a media trial.

Pinhero told the Court that the electoral body objected to the tendering of the election result sheets because the petitioners went beyond the areas where the election was being disputed.

However, Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN told newsmen that they will prove the authenticity of the documents they tendered at the right time.

Edith Nwapi

NEWSVERGE, published by The Verge Communications is an online community of international news portal and social advocates dedicated to bringing you commentaries, features, news reports from a Nigerian-African perspective. A unique organization, founded in the spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, comprising of ordinary people with an overriding commitment to seeking the truth and publishing it without fear or favour. The Verge Communications is fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a corporate organization.

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