The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday honoured a subpoena served on him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The petitioners’ counsel, Chris Uche, told the court at the Thursday proceedings that the INEC boss was represented by Morenikeji Tahiru, the Deputy Director of Certification and Complaint, Legal Drafting and Clearance Department of the Commission.
Recall that the PDP and Atiku had subpoenaed the Yakubu to tender some sensitive documents before the presidential election petition court.
The petitioners’ counsel had said that the INEC chairman would tender some sensitive documents during his appearance.
Also subpoenaed by the petitioners was the Secretary of the electoral commission, Omoa Oriaran-Anthony.
SaharaReporters had on Wednesday reported that INEC’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), and colleague from the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN) had a clash because the INEC chairman declined to accept a subpoena served on him to produce some documents.
Uzoukwu had made the claim mid-way into proceedings on Wednesday after another member of the petitioners’ legal team, Audu Anuga (SAN), who was tendering documents, suddenly announced that he had exhausted what they had for the day.
Uzoukwu, who is the leader of the petitioners’ legal team, had risen and told the court that his team would have loved to continue, but for the refusal of the INEC Chairman’s office to accept a subpoena served on him to produce some documents, a development that was hindering progress in their case.
Reacting, Pinheiro noted that it had become a pattern with the petitioners to always look for someone to blame whenever they were stuck and unable to progress with the handling of their case.
Pinheiro had said: “It has become a habit. Whenever they want to seek an adjournment, they look for somebody to whip. It cannot be true that a subpoena is refused by the office of the INEC Chairman.
“Don’t use INEC as a whipping boy. If they have nothing else to do today, they should just say so. It is their day. It is not correct that the office of INEC Chairman refused to accept a subpoena.”