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Presidential Poll: Over 18,088 Results INEC Uploaded Were blurred — Obi’s Witness

Published

2 years ago

June 16, 2023

A Professor of Mathematics, Eric Ofoedu, yesterday testified before the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, in the case candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi, filed to nullify President Bola Tinubu’s election victory.

Prof. Ofoedu, in his testimony, told the court that over 18,088 result sheets the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, uploaded to its election result viewing portal, IReV, in relation to the presidentialcontest that held on February 25, were blurred.

The don, who told the court that he was with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, was the fourth witness to testify in the joint petition Obi and his party filed to challenge the outcome of the presidential election.

He told the court that he found that the electoral body uploaded unreadable data to its portal while he was analysing results of the election, adding that he paid very close attention to the outcome of the election in Rivers and Benue states.

Move by the witness to tender some documents in evidence was opposed by all the Respondents in the matter.

The Respondents, who equally challenged the admissibility of Prof. Ofoedu’s statement on oath as an exhibit before the court, said they would adduce reasons for their objections in their final written address.

Specifically, INEC’s lawyer, Mr. Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, told the court that he was served with a statement of the witness shortly before the proceeding commenced. He argued that with the development, he would not be able to effectively cross-examine the witness.

His request for the petitioners to step down the evidence of the Respondent was supported by counsel for President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, as well as that of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.

However, though Justice Haruna Tsammani-led’s five-member panel did not allow the witness to give his testimony and tender the exhibits, it said it would rule on the respondents’ objections before it would deliver judgement in the case.

Among documents the witness tendered in evidence before the court, were report of data analysis of the election, INEC results viewing scores investigation, as well as separate data analysis of results of the election in Rivers and Benue states.

Whereas the court admitted the reports and marked them as exhibits PCG1 – PVG3, it equally admitted in evidence, blurred polling units results from IReV in 18,088 polling units across the federation. Based on agreement by all the parties, the court okayed the respondents to cross-examine the witness today.

Meanwhile, immediately Prof. Ofoedu was discharged from the witness box, the petitioners called their fifth witness, PW-5, Lumnie Edevbie, who is a staff of Arise News Television who was subpoenaed to produce a video exhibit.

The exhibit, which was in a flash drive, contained a video recording of a speech the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, delivered at Chatham’s House, in London on January 17.

In the video clip played in the open court, INEC chairman, Prof. Yakubu, made a case for the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, as well as the IRev for the conduct of the general elections, describing them as the commission’s biggest archive and repository of results of the elections. Although the respondents objected to the admissibility of the evidence, the court admitted it and marked it as one of the exhibits in the petition.

The court said it would also rule on the objections before its final judgement, even as it adjourned further hearing on the petition till today. Obi, who is claiming he won the presidential election is, among other things, praying the court to nullify Tinubu’s victory and withdraw the Certificate of Return issued him by INEC.

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

2 days ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

2 days ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

2 days ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”