The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been accused by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of obstructing the progress of his petition.
Atiku expressed his frustration during the proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja on Wednesday.
He revealed that despite paying N6.69 million to INEC for certified true copies of documents he intended to present as evidence, the commission failed to provide the requested documents.
Atiku’s lawyer, Mr. Chris Uche, SAN, conveyed their disappointment, stating that they had expected all the documents to be readily available and not have to travel to various states to collect them.
During the hearing, Uche submitted certified true copies of documents related to 10 out of the 21 local government areas of Kogi State, which were the only documents provided by the commission that day. Additionally, the petitioners presented form EC8D, which contains election results from Anambra State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Atiku, in his petition, requested the PEPC to declare him as Nigeria’s president-elect.
Alternatively, he urged the court to nullify the election and order a fresh one due to alleged irregularities that occurred in thousands of polling units during the February 25th poll.
These requests were made based on seven prayers grounded on five specific grounds stated in Atiku’s petition against the victory of Bola Tinubu, the president-elect from the All Progressives Congress (APC).