The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Wednesday during a court proceeding lambasted the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, for accusing the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, of evading the service of a witness summon on him. INEC, through its lawyer, Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, accused Obi of always looking for who to blame for his failure in the presidential election. 
INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu Peter Obi, who accused the 2023 presidential election of being rigged, secured a subpoena through his legal team led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, to force the INEC Chairman to appear before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja. Insisting that he wants the INEC boss to not only testify before the court as a witness but to equally produce and tender in evidence, some sensitive materials that were used for the conduct of the presidential election. While lamenting the inability of his client to effect service of the summon of Prof. Yakubu, Obi’s lead counsel, Dr. Uzoukwu, SAN, said: “My lords, I thought that by now, we would have been through with the stage of tendering of documents. “I have drawn the attention of the lead counsel to the INEC, Mr. Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, that the office of the Chairman of the Commission has consistently refused to accept subpoena to produce certain documents, inspite of efforts of Bailiffs of this court. “The counsel graciously asked me to give him a copy of the subpoena but I didn’t have an extra copy to give to him, so, he asked me to give it to any member of his team. “My lords, because I still do not have an extra copy, I intend to get it and send to him once the proceeding of today is over. “I am confident that he will do the needful for us to continue our case tomorrow,” he added. Kemi Pinhero, SAN while accusing Obi of always looking for who to blame for his failure said: “My lords should take note that it has become a habit for the Petitioners, that whenever they want to seek for an adjournment, they must look for someone to blame. “I was not privy to any discussion they had with our team leader because all the discussions have been open to members of our group. “However, it cannot be true that the Chairman of INEC refused to receive the subpoena. In PDP’s case, subpoenas were served, not only on the Chairman but also on some National Commissioners. “My lords should equally note that all the avalanche of documents they have tendered so far, some of them were certified as far back as in March. 
Mr Peter Obi “Yet, everytime, they keep complaining that INEC refused to release documents to them. “The submission that INEC refused to give documents to them, with due respect to the learned counsel, is not true. “If they want to ask for an adjournment, they should do so and not attempt to use the INEC as weeping board. “I want to say it for the records that it is not correct that INEC Chairman refused to receive subpoena. “The Chairman of INEC has no interest whatsoever. This allegation against him is most uncharitable,” Pinhero, SAN, added. Though counsel for the Petitioners, Uzoukwu, SAN, maintained his position and urged the court to verify from its Bailiffs, if the INEC Chairman did not refuse service of the subpoena, however, Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel, urged restraint from both parties. “There is no need to quarrel over this issue. If subpoena was refused, counsel knows what to do. “We should remember that after this case, we will still see each other in court. “So, let us not allow issues like this to destroy bonds of friendship,” Chairman of the panel, Justice Tsammani cautioned the senior lawyers. Following a no objection stance by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who appeared for President Tinubu, as well as by counsel for the APC, Mr. Afolabi Fashanu, SAN, the court adjourned further hearing on the matter till Thursday.
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu On behalf of SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms Adelanke Aremo, Ms Valentina Adegoke, and Ayomide Johnson, at the Federal High Court in Lagos, said SERAP “is seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Tinubu to promptly probe allegations that USD$2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion public funds are missing and unaccounted for between 2016 and 2019.” SERAP also sought, “An order of mandamus to compel President Tinubu to direct the anti-corruption agencies to promptly probe fuel subsidy payments made by governments since the return of democracy in 1999, name and shame and prosecute suspected perpetrators, and to recover any proceeds of crimes.” “Ann order of mandamus to direct and compel President Tinubu to use any recovered proceeds of crime as palliatives to address the impact of the subsidy removal on poor Nigerians, and to put in place mechanisms for transparency and accountability in the oil sector.” In the suit, SERAP, argued that: “The allegations that US$2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion of public funds are missing and unaccounted amount to a fundamental breach of national anticorruption laws and the country’s international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party. “The Tinubu government has constitutional and international legal obligations to get to the bottom of these allegations and ensure accountability for these serious crimes against the Nigerian people. “Directing and compelling President Tinubu to promptly probe, name and shame and bring to justice the perpetrators and to recover any missing public funds would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation and guarantee of non-repetition.” The suit, read in part: “There will be no economic growth or sustainability without accountability for the human rights crimes. “Poor and socio-economically vulnerable Nigerians should not be made to continue to pay the price for the stealing of the country’s oil wealth while state and non-state actors pocket public funds. “Investigating and prosecuting the allegations, and recovering any missing public funds would serve the public interest, ensure justice and accountability, and end the entrenched impunity of perpetrators.” “According to the audited reports between 2016 and 2019 by the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit N663,896,567,227.58 into the Federation Account. The Auditor-General fears that the money may be missing.” “The NNPC also reportedly failed to account for the allocation of crude oil to refineries in 2019. 107,239,436.00 barrels of crude oil were lifted as domestic crude without any document. The Auditor-General fears that the crude valued at N55,891,009,960.63 may have been diverted,” among others.” 
