Election Tribunal: Do Not Be Moved By INEC Objections – Effiong

A legal practitioner and social critic, Inibehe Effiong has urged people to remain steadfast despite the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) objections to the admissibility of documents at the ongoing hearings at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

Effiong alleged that the electoral body had aligned its defence strategy with the other Respondents, including the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The lawyer argued that the ploy was simply a distraction adding that the court would act on the documents since they were certified.

Speaking via a post on his Twitter handle on Thursday, he wrote, “People should not panic over objections to admissibility of documents by INEC at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. I’m not surprised by INEC’s roguish and embarrassing attitude. These are public documents duly certified. The Court will act on them. It is a distraction.

The legal expert insisted that “the Electoral Commission’s neutrality is a mirage, especially in electoral litigations”.

“Ordinarily, INEC being the maker of the documents which they’ve certified, that is Form EC8 series (polling unit & collation results), they’re not supposed to object to their admissibility.

“I’ve always said that INEC’s neutrality is a mirage, especially in electoral litigations.

“The documents have been admitted, though the Respondents will state the grounds for their objections in their final addresses.

Typically, the tribunal will look into the documents and act on them.

“As long as the documents have been duly certified, there’s no cause for alarm,” he added.