The Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar are to call 100 witnesses to testify against the conduct of the 2023 presidential election and the issue of whether the declared winner, APC’s Bola Tinubu was qualified to contest the election
Lead counsel to the petitioners Chris Uche told the court during Saturday’s hearing that the witnesses will include experts and subpoenaed witnesses
Meanwhile INEC says it will call only two witnesses, while Bola Tinubu plans to call 39 witnesses. The APC, on the other hand, says it will call 22 witnesses
There were however disagreements among the parties on time for examination-in-chief, cross-examination and re-examination of star witnesses of the petitioners and the respondents as well as the regular witnesses. While INEC seemed to have agreed with the petitioners on the allotted time, Tinubu and the APC disagreed as to what should be the ideal time for witnesses on both sides
The court has also proposed a consolidation of the three remaining petitions. Referring to paragraph 50 of the 1st Schedule to the Electoral Act 2022, Presiding Justice Haruna Tsamani directed the parties to meet and consult on the feasibility of a consolidation. While INEC agreed to it, the PDP, Tinubu and APC prayed the court to grant them until Monday 22nd May to report back
