Tribunal grants PDP, Atiku’s request to play video evidence

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has overruled the objection by the Independent National Electoral Commission, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the All Progressives Congress, to the request by the Peoples Democratic Party and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to play some video clips at the Monday’s hearing of their petition challenging the outcome of the February 23, 2019 poll.

The Justice Mohammed Garba-led five-man tribunal held that the objection by the respondents was baseless as the 48 video compact discs sought to be tendered by the petitioners were covered by the agreement reached at the pre-hearing session in respect of the case.

The tribunal unanimously held that as it had been done in respect of other exhibits tendered by the petitioners in line with the pre-hearing agreement, the respondents could only raise their objection to the admissibility of video exhibits and give reasons for it at the final address stage.

The tribunal went on to admit the VCDs as Exhibits P36 to P83.

The certificate of compliance with the provision of the Evidence Act accompanying the exhibits was admitted as Exhibit 84.

The petitioners’ lawyer, Chris Uche SAN, had earlier on Monday presented three witnesses, and he introduced the media adviser and spokesperson for Atiku, Mr. Segun Showunmi, as the petitioners’ next witness to be presented.

He also indicated that there would be the need to play a video clip to the tribunal in the course of Showunmi’s testimony.

With the admission of the VCDs as exhibits, Showunmi had been reminded of his earlier oath and an arrangement was being made for the videos to be played as of the time of filing this report.

The PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku, are by their petition, challenging the victory of Buhari and the APC at the poll.