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Presidential Tribunal: Peter Obi Produces Software Engineer As Witness

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2023

….seeks court order to interrogate INEC on ICT technology used for election

A Software Engineer, Mr. Anthony Chinwo, on Thursday, testified before the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, in the case the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi, filed to challenge the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

Chinwo, who gave his evidence as the second petitioners’ witness, PW-2, told the court that though he was not familiar with the application of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, device, he said he has adequate knowledge of the operation of back-end servers.

Answering questions under cross-examination, the witness, who equally identified himself as an Architect, told the court that he did not play any key role during the election.

He admitted that Amazon Web Services, AWS, which the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, used for the general elections, was one of the most trusted providers of Cloud Computer Services, with 99.9% security assurance.

He said the AWS was usually used by companies and individuals that are concerned about security of their data.

“However, deployment of AWS is one thing, but utilizing it is something else,” he added.

Asked how he gathered information on the election, which he analysed, the witness, said: “My lords, I used publicly available INEC Application Programming Interface, API, to conduct analysis of the election.

“I used them to collect all the information that were available on the election. I did it over time during the period of the election.”

The witness maintained that INEC ought to have uploaded data to its server, starting from the polling unit level.

Continuing, the PW-2, while admitting that he was unable to vote on the election day, said he was equally not a staff of Amazon.

Asked if he knew the number of softwares that INEC deployed for the conduct of the election, the witness, said: “I am not a staff of INEC, so I am not in position to know the number of softwares that made the component of the softwares that INEC used for the 2023 election.”

After he was discharged from the witness box, the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel, admitted in evidence, four INEC’s Forms EC40G from Bayelsa state, which Obi tendered through a member of his legal team, Mr. Patrick Ikweto, SAN.

Form EC40G are summary of registered voters at polling units where election did not hold.

The court admitted the ones from Bayelsa state and marked them as Exhibits EG 1 to EG 4.

Though all the Respondents opposed the admissibility of the Exhibits, they however reserved their reasons for the final written address.

Cited as 1st to 4th Respondents in the petition, are; the INEC, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, the Vice-President-elect, Kashim Shettima, and the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned further proceedings till Friday, after it heard an application that Obi and the LP filed for permission to interrogate INEC on the technology it deployed for the conduct of the general elections.

All the Respondents prayed the court to dismiss the application which they said was brought outside the pre-hearing period.

Specifically, the petitioners, maintained that in view of INEC’s reply to their petition, it should be compelled to answer 12 questions, among which are; the date the electoral body conducted functionality test on the said improved system it deployed for the elections, as well as names and details of those that conducted the test.

They further want INEC to answer the following questions: “Who created/deployed the four (4) Applications Patches/Updates to fix the HTTP 500 error that prevented the e-transmission of the results of the Presidential election on 25th February 2023?

“What was the exact time of the occurrence of the technical glitch which prevented the e-transmission of the result of the Presidential election on 25th February 2023?

“What time were the technological glitches fixed and or repaired?

“What percentage of the result of the Presidential election was uploaded on the I-Rev on 25th February 2023?

“What percentage of the result of the Presidential election was uploaded on the I-Rev as at the time of the declaration of the Result of the Presidential election on 1st March 2023?

“If the Presidential Election was conducted concurrently with the National Assembly Elections on the same day and at the same time using the same technological devices, why were there glitches only with respect to the Presidential Election?,” the petitioners queried INEC in the application they described as very vital to their case against President Tinubu’s election victory.

Related Topics:Peter Obi Presidential erection tribunal

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FG Makes History Compulsory Subject In Primary, Secondary Schools

Published

15 hours ago

September 17, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government has announced the reintroduction of Nigerian History as a compulsory subject from primary to senior secondary school, 16 years after it was removed from the curriculum in 2009, under the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration.

The Federal Ministry of Education announced this in a statement posted on its X handle on Wednesday.

It said the reintroduction aimed at strengthening national identity, unity, and patriotism among diverse citizens.

“For the first time in decades, Nigerian pupils will study History continuously from Primary 1 to JSS3, while SSS1–3 students will take the new Civic and Heritage Studies, integrating History with Civic Education.

“Primary 1–6: Pupils will learn about Nigeria’s origins, heroes, rulers, culture, politics, economy, religions, colonial rule, and post-independence governance.

“JSS1–3: Students will study civilisations, empires, trade, European contacts, amalgamation, independence, democracy, and civic values,” the statement read.

The Ministry said the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, CON, together with the Honourable Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmad, expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for championing the reform.

“They emphasised that History is not merely a record of the past, but a vital foundation for shaping responsible and patriotic citizens.”

According to the Ministers, the reform is a priceless gift to the nation, reconnecting children with their roots while inspiring pride, unity, and commitment to national development.

The Ministry has released the revised curriculum and will retrain teachers, provide resources, and strengthen monitoring.

The former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua-led government in 2009 removed history from Nigeria’s basic education curriculum.

Then, it was justified that students were avoiding it with the claim that there were few jobs for history graduates, and that there was dearth of history teachers.

In 2022, the Ministry of Education under former Minister Adamu Adamu inaugurated the reintroduction of the subject.

The Ministry also trained history teachers at the basic education level in Abuja.

However, history has always remained optional in the few schools that offer it.

News

Police Announce Burial Arrangements For Ex-IG Arase

Published

15 hours ago

September 17, 2025

Editor

The Nigeria Police Force has released the burial arrangements for former Inspector-General of Police Solomon Ehigiator Arase, who died on August 31, 2025, at the age of 69.

Arase, who served as the 18th indigenous Inspector-General of Police, was described by the Force as a dedicated officer remembered for his leadership, philanthropy and commitment to police reforms.

According to the programme of events signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, released on Wednesday, the burial rites will begin in Abuja on September 24 with a Day of Tribute at the Nigeria Police Resource Centre, Jabi.

A requiem mass will follow on September 26 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, while a lying-in-state is scheduled for September 27 at his Abuja residence. His body will then depart for Benin City, Edo State.

In his hometown, Sabongida Ora, a candlelight procession is slated for September 29.

A valedictory session organised by the Edo State judiciary and the Nigerian Bar Association will hold at the Edo State High Court, Benin, on October 2.

Other activities include a service of songs at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Airport Road, Benin, on October 2, followed by a family lying-in-state.

The funeral mass will take place on October 3 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, after which interment will be held at his private residence in Benin City.

A reception is planned at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, while a thanksgiving mass will round off the events on October 5.

Arase, who held national honours including CFR, and was also a PhD holder, was appointed Inspector-General of Police in April 2015 and retired in June 2016.

He died at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja after a brief illness.

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Lagos Begins Monitoring As Schools Resume

Published

15 hours ago

September 17, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government, through the Office of Education Quality Assurance, has commenced the monitoring of schools for compliance with standards as students resumed activities this week.

The OEQA spokesperson, Adepeju Adeyemi, said in a Wednesday statement sent to newsmen that the inspection began on Monday across the state for schools below the tertiary level.

The monitoring team, led by the Coordinating Director of OEQA, Remi Abdul, visited several schools, including Dolphin Senior High School, Lagos Island, where the team was received by the Principal/Director, Comfort Agunlejika.

Abdul explained that the purpose of the monitoring was to ensure compliance with the approved resumption date as stated in the Year 2025/2026 Harmonised Academic Calendar.

The PUNCH reports that basic and secondary schools in Lagos resumed on September 15, 2025, for the First Term of the Y2025/2026 session.

According to the approved 2025/2026 harmonised calendar made available to our correspondent, the First Half of the term is scheduled for September 15 to October 31, 2025, with a duration of 34 days. The second half will commence from November 10 to December 19, 2025, with a duration of 34 days. In between the halves are Open Day and Mid-Term Break.

Abdul noted that the monitoring team deployed was also verifying whether school administrators held pre-resumption meetings and whether key teaching and statutory records, such as lesson notes, diaries, and makeshift attendance registers, were in place for the smooth take-off of the new academic session.

“While addressing SSS 3 students, Abdul encouraged them to take their academics seriously, noting that how well they perform this term would determine their transition to higher education. He urged them to read well, stay focused, avoid skipping classes and begin early preparation for their WASSCE examinations,” the statement said.

He also encouraged teachers to remain dedicated and committed to delivering quality education.