The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate in the just concluded presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said they had assembled over 400 witnesses to testify against the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
National Legal Adviser of the PDP, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, disclosed this after a joint petition of the party and its presidential candidate was filed at the tribunal’s secretariat.
Enoidem explained that the petitioners would be represented by over 20 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).
Enoidem said, “The last day for the petition was actually tomorrow (Tuesday)but we decided to file it today (Monday). We asked that our candidate who won the election massively across the country be declared the winner of that election.
“In the alternative, we also asked that the results be set aside on the grounds of irregularities which were very apparent across the country.
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“We have a pool of 20 SANs, who are tested in election petitions matters, and other senior lawyers who are also working with them. So we are very ready for the petition. The petition is well packaged.
“The depositions are well put together. More than 400 witnesses are going to testify in this petition. Nigerians are at home with what happened on February in this country, the sham they called election.
“Of course, we are going to re-present the facts to Nigerians as the facts are already in the domains on Nigerians. We are not going to manufacture facts.”
Also speaking on the litigation, a member of the legal team of the petitioners, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said the petition was “strong, solid and unassailable.”
He accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of frustrating its efforts to file the case by restricting access to the electoral materials.
He said, “We have up to tomorrow (Tuesday), to file but we have been having some challenges from INEC itself in terms of assessing materials used during the elections. But I believe we will get there.
“Our petition is quite solid, strong unassailable and we believe that by the grace of God the true keeper and owner of the mandate will have his mandate given to him.”