A Peoples Democratic Party witness, Nicholas Msheliza, on Friday told the Presidential Election Petitions Court that the real disaster of the February 25, 2023 polls was at ward collation centres.
He said this during cross examined by the Independent National Electoral Commission counsel, Kemi Pinherio (SAN).
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in a petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023, the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are challenging the outcome of the February 25 election.
Respondents are INEC, President Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress.
Msheliza, the fifth witness of the PDP, faulted the conduct of the February 25 election.
Mhshliza, who is the collation agent for the party in Borno State, stated that the results obtained from the units were changed at the ward collation centre “where the real disaster happened”.
He said results from the Polling Units and those from the Wards were at variance because of the manipulation that took place during the elections.
He said: “The real disaster happened at the ward collation centre, which brought in different results from the one we knew.”
He stated further that the results were not electronically transmitted as supposed.
He, however, admitted during cross examination by the respondents’ counsel that he did not state the issue of results manipulation in his witness statement on oath.
This he said was because it was “not possible to have enumerated every thing in the statement”.
Earlier, Sani Kutigi testified as the fourth witness and state collation agent for Borno State.
Silas Onu also testified as the sixth witness and state collation agent for Ebonyi State.
Meanwhile, the five-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned the further hearing of the petition until Monday .
NAN recalls that the petitioners told the panel that they are bringing 100 witnesses to prove their petition.
So far, they have brought six.
NAN also reports that INEC since the start of the hearing opposed the admissibility of various documents brought to the Presidential Election Petition Court by the petitioners as exhibits to prove their petitions.
When Pinhero was approached by the newsmen to know why, he declined, saying he does not want to engage in a media trial.
Pinhero told the Court that the electoral body objected to the tendering of the election result sheets because the petitioners went beyond the areas where the election was being disputed.
However, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN) told newsmen that they will prove the authenticity of the documents they tendered at the right time.