…By Joseph Benjamin for TDPel Media. Daniel Bwala, a media aide to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, has taken a jibe at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its failure to open its defence at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
INEC’s Failure to Present Defence:
Following a 10-day break, the electoral commission, on Monday, was expected to present its defence at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
However, to the surprise of many, INEC did not proceed with its defence.
The tribunal, situated in Abuja, had resumed its proceedings to allow INEC to call its first witness and substantiate its declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the rightful winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential elections.
Witness Unavailability and Domestic Issue:
When the case was called up for hearing, INEC’s legal team, led by Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, informed the court that their witness was not available.
Although INEC expressed its intention to produce three witnesses to support the validity of the disputed presidential poll’s outcome, the commission revealed that the first witness, whom they intended to put on the stand, was involved in a domestic issue and therefore unavailable.
Mocking INEC’s Defence Failure:
Reacting to the situation, Daniel Bwala, media aide to Atiku Abubakar, took to Twitter to mock INEC’s failure to present its defence.
In his tweet, Bwala commented, “INEC failed to open its defence after 10 days break; reason? Because witnesses failed to show up. #Vuvuzela #hakunamatata.”
Conclusion:
The absence of INEC’s defence at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has raised eyebrows, as the commission failed to produce its first witness to support its declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the rightful winner of the 2023 presidential elections.
With Atiku Abubakar’s media aide, Daniel Bwala, openly mocking INEC’s inability to proceed with its defence, the situation adds further intrigue to the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the disputed election.