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The presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) General Muhammadu Buhari has alleged that there was no election in 29 states and that results were arbitrarily assigned by INEC officials in collaboration with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in last year's presidential polls.
The presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) General Muhammadu Buhari has alleged that there was no election in 29 states and that results were arbitrarily assigned by INEC officials in collaboration with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in last year's presidential polls.
While calling for the outright cancellation of the election, the former Head of State restated his earlier evidence in the final address submitted to the presidential election petition tribunal wherein he said that voter's register was so irregular 'that even photos of children featured in many documents."
He also claimed that he had established beyond reasonable doubt that results in form EC8D(A)s and EC8E were arbitrarily assigned without any election at the base.
Submitted through his lawyer, Mike Ahamba (SAN), Buhari's address stated that he had shown that through different documents, results were written on different days including pre-election, and also, most curiously after the result had been announced.
'It is submitted that where the so-called final result contains figures that were said to have arisen before the date of election and even after the so-called final result had been announced, then it would take minimal objectivity to come to a conclusion that the final result was arbitrarily put together."
Buhari urged the tribunal to take cognisance of the evidence that results were in existence before the date of the election and that neither the petitioner nor the 5th and 6th respondents made use of original election documents in the petition 'which proves that the documents were not made available to the candidate during the electoral process, a fact which this court should take judicial notice, the same being non-compliance with section 64 (4) of the Electoral Act."
Also he said: 'The extent of damage occasioned by the widespread illegalities and improprieties, and for which the respondents did not offer any explanation whatsoever or even attempt to do so, have rendered the election as being so badly conducted that no electoral benefit is derivable from it by anyone."
He further submitted that non-compliance with several sections of Electoral Act 2006 and total lack of respect manifested by the 1st and 2nd respondents in the conduct of the elections and the total absence of rebuttal explaining the circumstances under which the documentary illegalities were perpetrated had pointed a clear direction to the tribunal on the merit of his petition, even if it had stood alone without being consolidated with that of the Action Congress (AC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
It would be recalled that Professor Maurice Iwu just responded to the questions posed by Atiku where he tried to explain how the contract for the printing of ballot paper was awarded.
His response has further generated further comment by other contestants in the controversial election such as President Umar Yaru ‘Adua whose lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) rejoiced that Atiku's interrogatories inadvertently strengthened his client's position in the petition.
But, Buhari closed his address by saying: 'Since the prayers and the reliefs sought in this petition flow directly from the facts of this petition as proved, the honourable court is urged to grant them as the petitioner is lawfully entitled to prayers and all the reliefs sought thereupon."