Presidential Election Tribunal admits 48 compact discs as exhibits

The Presidential Election Tribunal has agreed to admit 48 compact video discs as evidence from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the suit challenging President Muhammadu Buhari’s victor.

The tribunal also ordered viewing of the discs in open court.

Recall that the move by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to play a video before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) was initially objected by President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But the Justice Mohammed Garba-led five-man tribunal held that the objection by the respondents was baseless as the 48 video compact discs sought to be tendered by the petitioners were covered by the agreement reached at the pre-hearing session in respect of the case.

The tribunal unanimously held that as it had been done in respect of other exhibits tendered by the petitioners in line with the pre-hearing agreement, the respondents could only raise their objection to the admissibility of video exhibits and give reasons for it at the final address stage.

The tribunal went on to admit the VCDs as Exhibits P36 to P83.

The certificate of compliance with the provision of the Evidence Act accompanying the exhibits was admitted as Exhibit 84.

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