Tinubu, APC’s brokers truncated leads to Rivers – Atiku’s witness tells presidential election courtroom

A witness of the Peoples Democratic Celebration (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, instructed the Presidential Election Petition Courtroom in Abuja that “brokers” of President Bola Tinubu truncated the importing of outcomes to the INEC server in Rivers State.

The witness, Abiye Sekibo, who was PDP’s coordinator of the 25 February presidential election in Rivers, stated officers of Nigeria’s electoral fee, INEC, have been restrained by “brokers” of Mr Tinubu and the APC from utilizing the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to add collated outcomes from polling models throughout the state.

“The brokers of the 2nd respondent (Mr Tinubu) and third respondent (APC) ensured that INEC presiding officers didn’t add outcomes of the presidential election in Rivers,” Mr Sekibo, a former Transportation Minister, instructed the courtroom.

Led in his evidence-in-chief by Atiku’s lawyer, Eyitayo Jegede, Mr Sekibo additional alleged that the brokers unleashed violence on voters and residents round polling models within the state.

“INEC couldn’t add outcomes throughout your entire Rivers State,” he stated.

However INEC’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, through the collation of the presidential election leads to Abuja, blamed the lack of the fee to add outcomes from polling models in most components of the nations on “glitches.”

Throughout cross-examination by Mr Tinubu’s lawyer, Akin Olujinmi, Mr Sekibo stated he voted at his polling unit at Okrika Native Authorities Space of the state.

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Mr Sekibo, a stalwart of the PDP, was requested if he knew the names of the brokers who allegedly perpetrated the violence on the polls. He stated no.

Equally, APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, in his cross-examination, requested Mr Sekibo how he traced the brokers’ identities to Mr Tinubu and the APC.

Responding, Mr Sekibo, who stated he witnessed a number of outcomes collation in 20 out of the over 600 polling models throughout the state, stated he deduced the brokers’ identities from their violent actions.

Mr Sekibo, Atiku’s seventh witness to testify earlier than the five-member panel headed by Haruna Tsammani, stated, “we tried to get to Obiakpor Native Authorities Space however have been prevented. There was violence, and other people have been being killed.”

The previous governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, hails from Obiakpor Native Authorities Space. There have been reviews of widespread violence through the presidential election within the space.

Atiku, who got here second within the election is difficult Mr Tinubu’s victory.

He based mostly his petition on the premise that INEC didn’t adjust to the provisions of the Nigerian structure and the Electoral Act.

Atiku additionally accused the electoral umpire of manipulating the election leads to favour of Mr Tinubu.

He urged the courtroom to nullify Mr Tinubu’s victory and declare him president.

Within the various, Atiku prayed to the courtroom to order a recent election.

There are two different petitions in opposition to Mr Tinubu’s victory.