The tribunal rejects the testimony of ten of the thirteen LP and Obi witnesses.

According to the court, the statements of the rejected ten witnesses were filed after the hearing had begun.

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has rejected the testimony of ten of the thirteen witnesses produced by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Obi and the LP had summoned the witnesses to support their petition opposing President Bola Tinubu’s election.

Only three of the 13 witnesses whose testimonies are on oath were filed with the petition, according to the lead judgement read by Justice Haruna Tsammani.

According to the court, the statements of the rejected ten witnesses were filed after the hearing had begun.

The court also dismissed the petitioners’ documents, including the analysis report, as presented by the impacted ten witnesses.

According to section 285 of the Nigerian constitution, section 137(7) of the Electoral Act 2022, and other requirements, a witness statement on oath must be filed with the petition.

Tsammani further stated that once the 21-day window for filing an election petition has passed, the petition’s content cannot be changed.

He claimed that the petitioners were aware of the legal condition requiring the filing of witness statements under oath, but proceeded to present 10 witnesses without their witness statements under oath, which had previously been filed with the petition.