Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is scheduled to appear as a witness before the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

As part of the ongoing petition filed by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging President Bola Tinubu's victory in the February 25 presidential election, a significant development has occurred. Atiku and his legal team have accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the election results. To substantiate their claims, Chris Uche, Atiku's lead counsel, has informed the court that INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu will appear as a witness, presenting crucial electoral documents.

Yakubu's appearance in court is a result of a subpoena issued at the request of Atiku's legal team. The purpose of his testimony is to provide insight into the conduct of the disputed election and offer evidence in support of the petitioner's case.

Before Yakubu's testimony, Atiku's legal team presented several witnesses, among them Alex Ter, a lawyer and former Attorney General of Benue State. Ter testified that the presidential election held in February was riddled with widespread irregularities and violated the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

During Ter's testimony, he introduced video clips featuring Yakubu and Festus Okoye, INEC's Commissioner for Voter Education, both expressing their commitment to electronically transmit the election results. The court admitted these video clips as evidence, along with other relevant documents.

Despite objections raised by Tinubu's legal team and the APC, the court ruled in favor of admitting the videos as evidence. Similar video clips had been previously submitted by Peter Obi's Labour Party, which also disputes Tinubu's victory.

During cross-examination, Ter clarified that he did not possess expertise in information and communication technology (ICT) and derived his report on the election's outcome from PDP agents stationed at the collation centers. He insisted that the presidential election should be declared null and void based on alleged electoral malpractices committed by INEC.

After Ter's testimony, the court adjourned the proceedings until Wednesday, June 14, to continue with further hearings. Both Atiku and Obi are urging the court to declare them as the rightful president and are advocating for a fresh election to take place.