Atiku’s votes marred by irregularities, witness tells Election Tribunal

Samuel Oduntan, a witness called upon by Abubakar Atiku and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), diclosed at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that the results of the presidential election in Adamawa State and several other states where the PDP was declared the winner were plagued by serious irregularities.

These irregularities, according to Mr. Oduntan, significantly impacted the validity of Atiku’s votes.

Under cross-examination by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, counsel to President Tinubu, Mr. Oduntan confirmed that he included the aforementioned states in his report, which was submitted to the court as Exhibits PAH1, PAH2, and PAH3, due to the observed irregularities.

He emphasized that these irregularities were instrumental in questioning the integrity of the votes attributed to Atiku. Notably, Mr. Oduntan admitted that he had been engaged by the PDP to prepare the reports and present his testimony in court, and he acknowledged receiving substantial remuneration for his services.

Meanwhile, INEC complied with the subpoena issued to its chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, and presented relevant electoral documents through Mrs. Taiwo Tairu, the Deputy Director of Certification and Compliance.

However, during the tendering of the documents, Mr. A.B. Mahmoud, SAN, counsel to INEC, objected to their admissibility on the grounds that the petitioners had failed to fulfill the required payments for document certification, as mandated by the law.