By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Abuja
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, yesterday, ordered a 10-man team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria who are representing President Goodluck Jonathan over the petition filed by the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, to return to the court on October 4 to adduce further evidence showing that the April 16 Presidential election was not rigged in favour of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The Justice Kumai Bayaang Akaahs led 5-man panel tribunal, gave the directive after they had listened to the oral testimony of 8 witnesses who appeared in court and testified for president Jonathan yesterday. The witnesses, who were members of the PDP from various parts of the country, insisted that the election results declared in favour of President Jonathan by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on April 18, clearly depicted an accurate reflection of the voting pattern of Nigerians across the federation.

hey pleaded the court to adopt their separate witness statements on oath and dismiss the CPC petition as grossly unmeritorious.

After the eight witnesses concluded their examination in chief and were cross-examined by counsel to the petitioner yesterday, the panel, which had earlier handed President Jonathan and his Vice, Namadi Sambo, five straight days to defend their mandate, noted need to modify the hearing arrangement of the matter in view of the public holidays occasioned by the Independence day celebration.

The tribunal, which has 32 more days to conclude sitting on the petition, had ab-inito expressed its resolve to conduct hearings even on Saturdays so as to meet up with the 180 days (6 month) deadline stipulated in the law.

However, owing to the anniversary, the tribunal yesterday amended its earlier ruling by conceding to allow President Jonathan to continue his defence on Tuesday next week.

Meantime, 13 witnesses have so far testified for President Jonathan.

Among those that have testified in court were the Minister of Defence, Mr Bello Haliru Mohammed, the Minister of state for Education, Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, the Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kawu Baraje and a former House of Representatives member, Chief Mau Ohuabunwa.

Lead counsel to President Jonathan, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, had earlier informed the tribunal of their intention to call 100 witnesses to testify in the matter with a view to proving that the April 16 presidential election was duly won by the PDP.

It would be recalled that the CPC had beseeched the tribunal to nullify the presidential election and order a re-run between it and the ruling PDP.

It is specifically challenging all the results garnered by the PDP in all the 17 states in the South, as well as in Sokoto, Kaduna, Plateau, Kwara, Benue, Adamawa, Nasarawa states, in the North and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.