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Presidential Tribunal: Peter Obi Produces Software Engineer As Witness

Published

3 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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Migration Agency Warns Migrants Against Irregular Travel Routes

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with Giving is Healing Foundation, has sensitised residents of Ayobo in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on the dangers of irregular migration and the need to embrace legal travel procedures.

Speaking during a sensitisation programme held at Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association in Ayobo, the founder of Giving is Healing Foundation, Mr. Gbolahan Ayediran, warned intending migrants against using illegal travel routes.

Ayediran said many Nigerians desire to migrate abroad in search of better opportunities but often ignore proper procedures, thereby exposing themselves to several dangers.

“Lots of people want to migrate and most of them do it in the wrong direction. The reason for the programme is for us to advise people on how they can migrate in the right way. As much as migration is their right, they should do it correctly,” he said.

He advised intending travellers to obtain the necessary travel documents before embarking on any journey, noting that such documents include international passports, visas, flight tickets and yellow cards, depending on the destination country.

According to him, migrants should also gather adequate information about their destination countries to enable them make informed decisions before travelling.

Ayediran further highlighted some of the dangers associated with irregular migration, including abuse, exploitation, discrimination and forced labour.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association, Elder Mathews Amusan, commended the organisers for enlightening members of the community on safe migration practices.

He urged residents planning to travel abroad to always follow legal migration procedures to avoid falling victim to human trafficking and other migration-related challenges.

One of the participants, Mr. Kolawole Adenoko, said the programme enlightened him on the dangers of irregular migration and the importance of travelling through the proper channels.

He added that he would also educate his relatives and friends on the risks associated with illegal migration.

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Shatta Wale Bailed Burna Boy From Ghana Prison After Arrest For Smoking Weed – Captan

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

Ghanian singer, Captan, has claimed that his former record label boss, Shatta Wale, once bailed Nigerian singer Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana after he was allegedly arrested for smoking weed.

Speaking in a recent podcast interview, Captan claimed that Shatta Wale sent him and others to free Burna Boy from police custody.

He also claimed that Shatta Wale and his group once accommodated Burna Boy when he was being hunted by some dangerous men.

Captan said, “I once bailed Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana when he was arrested for smoking weed. Shatta Wale sent me and some guys to go and free him from police custody.

“There was a time we also accommodated him when some people were after his life. We helped him settle the case.”

He added that he and Burna Boy are no longer in good terms after the Nigerian artist’s fallout with his mentor, Shatta Wale.

He, however, said he and Shatta Wale are open to reconciling with Burna Boy if he asks for it.

Watch the video here

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Children’s Day: Chaos At Ogbe Stadium As Dozens Faint

Published

20 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

Chaos erupted on Wednesday during the Children’s Day celebration as dozens of students reportedly collapsed following a stampede triggered by the use of pepper spray.

The event,
organised by the Edo State Ministry of Education at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium was disrupted after some male students of Ihogbe College allegedly made uncompromising advances towards female students at the venue.
‎
‎ A parent who identified himself as Oboh Emmanuel said, “the behaviour of those uncultured students attracted the attention of bouncers stationed at the stadium as they rebuked the male students.”
‎
‎Oboh said the affected students later regrouped and attacked the bouncers, leading to a confrontation within the crowded arena.

READ ALSO:Children’s Day: Edo Commits To Child Protection
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It was gathered that in the ensuing confusion, the bouncers were reported to have deployed pepper spray in an area occupied by a large number of students.
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‎Several students, particularly female students, reportedly fainted after inhaling the substance, while others sustained injuries after being stepped on during the ensuing melee.
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‎The panic was said to have spread across the stadium as students, teachers and parents scampered for safety.
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‎Many of the affected students were reportedly rushed to the Edo Specialist Hospital for medical attention.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Dr Patrick Ebojele, said the security personnel that fired the tear gas had been detained.

He said all the students, except two, that were rushed to the hospital have been discharged.

Ebojele stated that doctors wanted to observe the students till tomorrow before allowing them to go home.

“The two students are not seriously injured. Doctors want to observe them overnight. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education is still at the hospital. The man who used pepper spray has been detained.

“The incident did not happen the way it is being exaggerated. All modalities were put in place to ensure the children enjoyed their day.”
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