The court presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani, has granted the approval of a subpoena for additional witnesses from the Labour Party (LP). This decision comes after the LP lawyers brought the matter to the attention of the court.
The trial commenced on Tuesday, with the petitions filed by the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi; and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Chichi Ojei, challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following the conclusion of evidence presented by the LP's first witness, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), the lead counsel for the LP, informed the court about their application for a subpoena to summon additional witnesses to testify before the court.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court admitted four documents into evidence, namely EC11A, EC9, EC11, EC94. These documents comprise the judgment from the District Court of Northern District, Illinois, Eastern Division, USA, regarding narcotics and money laundering forfeiture.
Additionally, a letter of withdrawal of Kashim Shettima as the senatorial candidate of the APC in Borno State was tendered by the LP.
During the testimony of the LP witness, Lawrence Uchechukwu Nnanna Nwakaeti, it was stated that the documents from the District Court of Illinois, USA, revealed that Tinubu had been fined $460,000. Nwakaeti emphasised that these documents had been duly certified by the Sheriffs in the USA.
However, under cross-examination by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the counsel for the APC, the witness admitted that he did not possess a certificate from the US that contained Tinubu's fingerprints or the charges against him.
Further questioning from Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the lead counsel for Tinubu, focused on the specific usage of the word "fine" in the document. Despite the scrutiny, Nwakaeti maintained that he had thoroughly read the entire judgment and stood by his evidence that the president had been fined $460,000 in the US.
Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) led the witness in providing evidence and noted that Nwakaeti, in addition to being a witness, was also a voter in the election in Amorka, Ihialla, Anambra State. Nwakaeti affirmed that his affidavit concerning the forfeiture document was based on facts of the law and not his personal conclusions.
When asked about his awareness of a certificate of clearance signed by a legal attache in the US Embassy on February 4, 2023, exonerating Tinubu from the forfeiture, Nwakaeti responded negatively.
The subpoena for more LP witnesses granted by the Presidential Election Petitions Court indicates the continued progress in the trial as both sides present their evidence and arguments.
The testimonies provided by the witnesses and the examination conducted by the respective counsels play a crucial role in establishing the facts surrounding the case. The court remains committed to upholding the principles of justice and ensuring a fair and transparent process.