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Presidential Poll Dispute: 5 INEC Ad-hoc Staff To Testify Against Tinubu

Published

3 years ago

June 7, 2023

Five ad-hoc staff members of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, have been okayed to testify as special witnesses in the petition that a former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, filed to challenge the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

The INEC ad-hoc staff members, who participated in the conduct of the disputed presidential election, were subpoenaed to appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC

Atiku, who came second in the presidential contest that held on February 25, had in the joint petition he filed with his party, alleged that the election was rigged in favour of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

The former Vice President, in his 66-paged petition, accused the electoral Commission of installing a third-party device he said was used to intercept and switch results of the presidential election in favour of the APC and its candidate, Bola Tinubu.

He further alleged that INEC had prior to the election, redeployed its in-house ICT expert, Mr. Chidi Nwafor, and replaced him with an IT Consultant that helped it to install the third-party mechanism.

According to Atiku, the said IT Consultant, Mr. Suleiman Farouk, ensured that the device intermediated between the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IRev Portal, known as Device Management System (DMS).

He told the court that the DMS was the software that allowed INEC’s IT Security Consultant, Mr. Farouk, to remotely control, monitor and filter data that was transmitted from the BVAS devices to the electronic collation system and the IRev platform.

“The 1st Respondent (INEC) engaged an appointee of the 2nd Respondent (Tinubu) to man and oversee the sensitive ICT Department of the 1st Respondent for the purpose of the Election.

“The Petitioners contend and shall lead evidence to show that contrary to the original design of the BVAS machine to upload data directly to the electronic collation system and the IReV portal, the 1st Respondent contrived and installed an intervening third-party device (Device Management System) which, in its ordinary usage, is meant to secure and administer the 1st Respondent’s technological ecosystem for the elections but as it relates to the Presidential Election, was used to intercept the results, quarantine and warehouse same, and filter them before releasing same to the IReV Portal.

“The 1st Respondent used the said Device Management System to manipulate the Election results in favour of the 2nd and 3rd Respondents.

“The Petitioners state and shall lead expert evidence to show the critical components of the 1st Respondent’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT), including but not limited to the BVAS which is an Android Device manufactured by Emperor Technologies China and supplied to the 1st Respondent by Activate Nigeria Limited,” the petitioners added.

Consequently, at the resumed proceedings in the petition on Wednesday, lead counsel for the petitioners, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, told the court that his clients had subpoenaed five INEC ad-hoc staff members that were part of the conduct of the election to appear as witnesses and to also tender sensitive materials in evidence.

He added that out of the five witnesses, three of them were in court.

However, immediately the first subpoenaed ad-hoc staff was called into the courtroom and he mounted the witness box, lead counsel for the INEC, Mr Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, raised an objection.

INEC’s lawyer, Mahmood, SAN, told the court that he was only served with statements of the witnesses, a few minutes before the proceedings commenced, insisting that he would need time to go through the documents to be able to effectively cross-examine the witnesses.

Besides, INEC’s lawyer said there was also the need for him to go back to the Commission to verify and confirm the identities of the witnesses so as to ascertain if they indeed served as ad-hoc staff during the election.

Both Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, who appeared for President Tinubu, as well as counsel for the APC, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, aligned themselves with the position of the INEC.

The respondents maintained that they would need time to study the statements of the witnesses that were served on them by the petitioners.

Even though Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel initially opted for a 30-minute stand down to allow the respondents to study the statements, however, it subsequently deferred further proceedings in the matter till Thursday to enable INEC’s counsel to conduct his internal enquiry.

Earlier in the proceeding, counsel for the petitioners tendered certified copies of results of the presidential election from 10 Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Kogi State, even as he presented the Chairman of the PDP in Anambra state, Mr. Ndubuisi Nwobu, to testify as the 11th witness in the matter.

Nwobu told the court that he served as state collation officer for the PDP during the election, adding that in about 30 polling units that he visited, results of the election were not uploaded to INEC’s I-Rev portal in real-time.

The witness told the court that he was forced to sign the result of the election by INEC officials that threatened that they would not give him a copy unless he signed.

According to him, “Every effort made to upload the results to the I-Rev portal failed. It was at the ward level that magic started happening,” the witnesses stated, adding that it if not for his swift intervention, some INEC officials would have been manhandled by angry electorates.

While being cross-examined by APC’s lawyer, Fagbemi, SAN, the witness, said he wrote a letter after the election to complain about all the anomalies he observed, as well as the manifest noncompliance with the Electoral Act.

“My complaint was not about the BVAs, but that results were not uploaded to the I-Rev portal as we were promised extensively by the INEC Chairman,” the witness added.

Atiku, is among other reliefs, praying for the court to declare that he was the valid winner of the presidential election, even as he applied for the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return that was issued to President Tinubu by INEC.

News

NAF Launches Attack On Terrorists In Borno

Published

5 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, operating as part of the joint task force of Operation Hadin Kai, has carried out a coordinated air interdiction at AbbagaJiri in the Timbuktu Triangle, Borno State.

According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information of NAF, the air strikes successfully paved the way for ground troops.

He explained that the operation was based on actionable intelligence from multiple sources, which confirmed the presence of terrorists, their structures, and concealed logistics facilities in the area.

Ejodame stated that NAF air assets were deployed in integrated surveillance and precision strike roles to target identified threats.

The operation aimed to degrade terrorist capabilities, deny them sanctuary, and shape the battlefield for ground forces, all while strictly adhering to rules of engagement and protecting civilians.

He added, “The Identified terrorist structures were decisively engaged and destroyed, denying the terrorists freedom of action, while a follow-up engagement neutralised armed elements observed converging on the location.”

“Subsequent advances by ground troops into the area confirmed the effectiveness of the air strikes and validated the success of the joint air–land operation.”

Speaking on the mission, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, said, “The success of the mission reflects the NAF’s resolve to dominate the air domain in support of joint operations.”

Aneke further emphasized that the operation highlighted the service’s commitment to providing precise and decisive air power in support of ground forces.

In his words, “We will continue to deny terrorists freedom of movement, sanctuary, and logistics wherever they seek to hide. Air operations will remain relentless and intelligence-driven.”

“Our operations are carefully planned and intelligence-led, ensuring maximum effect on hostile elements while safeguarding innocent civilians.”

“The Nigerian Air Force will sustain pressure until terrorist networks are completely dismantled.”

He further noted that the operation showcased NAF’s aggressive stance, precision employment of airpower, and dedication to sustained joint operations.

Aneke added that such missions play a crucial role in enabling ground troops to maintain momentum and deliver decisive outcomes against terrorist networks threatening lives, property, and Nigeria’s national security.

News

Lagos Parks To Close For Maintenance – State Govt

Published

5 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, LASPARK, has announced that all public parks under its management across the state will be temporarily closed for routine maintenance and upgrades.

In a statement released on January 9 and shared via its official platforms early Saturday, LASPARK said, “All parks under our management will be closed to the public from January 12 to January 31, 2026.

“This follows increased visitor activity during the recent festive season.”

The agency listed several popular recreational spots that will be affected, including “Ndubisi Kanu Park, Alausa JJT Park, Dr. Finnih Abayomi Park in Oregun, and all other LASPARK-managed parks across Lagos State.”

News

PAP Sends Additional 34 Foreign Post-graduate Scholarship Beneficiaries To UK Varsities

Published

20 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has deployed an additional 34 foreign post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries to various universities in the United Kingdom for the 2025-2026 academic year.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the Administrator, PAP.

According to the statement, the scholars’ programmes include data science, fintech analytics, cyber security, international energy law and policy, construction project management, public health, agri-food technology, electrical and petroleum engineering, among others.

The statement added that more foreign post-graduate scholars will be sent to UK universities in the current academic session.

“In December 2025, nine students, who were the first set of offshore post-graduate scholarship developments by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024-2025 academic year, graduated from their various programmes in UK universities.

“Otuaro has deployed over 9000 students to universities within and outside Nigeria for different industry-relevant programmes since he assumed office in March 2024,” the statement partly reads.

Speaking at the pre-departure orientation programme for the scholars at the PAP headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday, Otuaro said that the large-scale deployment was aimed at making the Niger Delta a knowledge-driven region.

He said that his leadership reinvigorated the programme to give it a new momentum in service delivery to the people of the region based on the mandate of President Bola Tinubu.

Otuaro said, “We are sending all of you for post-graduate studies in various universities in the United Kingdom.

“The PAP now has a new momentum and direction because of the repositioning and broad reforms that we carried out in line with the mandate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

“The objective behind the huge scholarships deployment is to ensure that we develop the needed human capital to transform the Niger Delta and generate knowledge-wealth.

“We want to develop relevant manpower in critical disciplines for our region and by extension, the country, because you are expected to contribute your quota to national development after successful graduation.”

The PAP boss, who was represented at the event by his Technical Assistant, Mr Edgar Biu, advised the scholars to study hard to achieve academic excellence in their various fields of research.

According to him, the scholars have an obligation to justify the Federal Government’s investment in their education and future.

He reiterated his warning that beneficiaries should not take for granted the opportunity to further their academic pursuits in the interest of the Niger Delta and indeed the country.

Otuaro expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his “enormous interest and support for the Programme”, particularly the approval of an upward review of the programme’s budget from N65billion to N150billion.

He also expressed gratitude to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his impeccable guidance and supervision of the programme’s initiatives.

Otuaro, therefore, cautioned the scholars to obey their host country’s laws and the rules and regulations of their various institutions, stressing that they are ambassadors of Nigeria, the Niger Delta and their communities and families.

Highpoint of the orientation programme was the presentation of laptops to the scholars to help them in their studies.