The presidential election petitions tribunal on Monday granted the application of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to tender 48 video clips.
Chris Uche, counsel to the petitioners, made the application to tender the video clips in support of the petition challenging the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of February presidential election.
But the respondents – Independent National Electoral Commission, Buhari, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – objected to the application. Alex Izinyon, Buhari’s lawyer, described the move as an “ambush,” adding that “Your lordship they are not part of the documents listed,” he said.
Uztaz Usman, INEC counsel, argued that the presentation of the witness and evidence was not part of what the lawyers agreed on.
“What the media will be reporting will be another thing. We were taken by surprise. This does not comply with first schedule of evidence act,” Usman had said.
Thereafter, the tribunal stood down for 1 hour 30 minutes to decide on the ruling. Upon, resumption, the five-man panel of judges led by Mohammed Garba granted the request of the petitioners.
The panel held that “no specific evidence is excluded from being tendered as an evidence.”