Just In: Key points to note in the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal judgment

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday upheld the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 23 presidential election.

The tribunal dismissed the PDP petition challenging the President’s eligibility and integrity of the poll in its entirety.

The five-man panelpresided over by Justice Muhammad Garba who ruled on several petitions relating to the presidential election held that President Buhari ” is eminently qualified” to contest the 2019 presidential election.

Meanwhile, below are some of the key decisions reached in the main judgment so far:

1. President Muhammadu Buhari was eminently qualified to contest the Feb. 23, 2019 presidential election
2. Buhari did not give information in an affidavit submitted to INEC concerning his academic qualification
3. The manual for the election issued by INEC did not provide for electronic transmission of results of the election
4. Petitioners failed to prove that election results were transmitted electronically.
5. Petitioners’ Witness 59, who was brought from Kenya, failed to prove that there was an INEC server.
6. PW59 relied on hearsay information about the said INEC server posted on a website, www.factsdontlie.com by a purpported whistleblower who was never known.
7. Card reader machine was not used to transmit results during the election but for mere authentication of authentication ownership of voter cards.
8. Petitioners merely dumped documents particularly electoral materials on the tribunal without demonstrating them by tying the evidence of any of their 62 witnesses to the documents in their bid to prove the allegations in their petition