President Muhammadu Buhari’s lawyer, Alex Izinyon, on Tuesday, tendered a video clip of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, discussing the difficulty in transmitting election results, on Channels Television.
Mr Izinyon tendered the clip at the resumed cross-examination of the star witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Showunmi, at the ongoing presidential election petitions tribunal.
Mr Showunmi was a campaign spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign.
During the course of playing the clip in the open court, the INEC chairman could be seen and heard saying: “Recall that we have had discussions with the NCC, telecommunication, we have blindspots, how do we transmit results in blind spots.”
“We still need to do a lot more before we can use the technology of transmitting the results of election(s),” Mr Yakubu was heard saying in the clip.
Mr Yakubu could also be heard expressing concerns about cybersecurity.
“We also have issues in the area of security,” he said.
After the clip ended, Mr Buhari’s counsel asked the witness if he could identify the INEC chairman, he said: “He may look like him.”
When asked again if that is the INEC chairman: “He could be.”
When asked about the interviewer, Mr Showunmi said, “Yes, that is Seun Okinbaloye.”
Mr Showumi also confirmed the Channels TV logo on the clip which lasted for three minutes.
Following that, Mr Izinyon sought to tender the video and its certificate of compliance but the counsel to the petitioners, Chris Uche, objected in its tendering.
Mr Uche argued that the respondent could not be tendering evidence while they were doing so adding that they “will have their time.”
Thereafter, the five-member panel of the tribunal led by Mohammed Garba asked that Mr Uche, to reserve his objection till the final address stage.
He thereafter tendered as evidence the clip as exhibit P85 and the certificate of compliance as exhibit P86.
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