Presidential Election Tribunal: Gunmen Attacked Our Witnesses – PDP/Atiku

Proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja were cut short on Friday following the alarm raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate in the February 23, 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar over an attack of their other witnesses by unknown gunmen.

One of the lawyers to Atiku and PDP, Mr Chris Uche (SAN) told the Tribunal that the witnesses were intercepted by gunmen on their way to Abuja from Zamfara State.

Uche said; “I am not sure if the next set of witnesses would be available. We got information that they were waylaid by armed men while on their way from Zamfara State to Abuja.”

He explained to members of the five-man Tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Garba that the attacked witnesses were those they prepared for the second half of Friday’s proceedings.

The lead counsel for the petitioners, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), who walked into the courtroom while Uche was stil addressing the Justices of the Court of Appeal, corroborated the claim.

Dr. Uzoukwu said; “I was the one that was called on the phone. I kept having the repeated calls and had to go out to answer. I was told that while the witnesses were on their way from Zamfara State, they were attacked by armed men.

“Some of them jumped into the bush and some of them were gravely injured. Up till now, they are still looking for some of them in the bush.”

Uzoukwu therefore advised that there would be no need for the sitting to resume at the end of the one-hour break.

The number of persons involved in the attack and the location of the incident were however not mentioned by the lawyers.

The petitioners had called eight witnesses on Friday, thereby totaling 36 in number that have so far been presented by the petitioners.

Dr Uzoukwu, accordingly requested that the proceedings be adjourned till Monday.

Lawyers to the respondents, namely Yunus Usman (SAN), Yusuf Ali (SAN), and Latef Fagbemi (SAN) for INEC, President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively did not oppose the request for adjournment.

Zamfara is one of the 11 states where the petitioners are ‎challenging the results of the February 23, 2019 election.

Following the information provided by Lawyers to the petitioners, the lead judge of the Tribunal, Justice Mohammed Garba adjourned hearing till Monday, July 15, 2019 for continuation of the proceedings.