Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, the senatorial candidate for the All Progressive Congress (APC), has presented six witnesses to contest the victory and qualifications of Lawal Adamu (referred to as Mr. La), the senatorial candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
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Witnesses from the former schools of the PDP candidate and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) testified before the three-member panel, presided over by Justice HH Kereng.
The first witness, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU), was represented by a member of the legal team and an associate professor from the Faculty of Law named Abubakar Is’haq.
The University was subpoenaed to produce Lawal Adamu’s student records while he was enrolled there.
The second witness, National Examination Council (NECO), represented by the Director of Special Duties, Esther Bala Wuyaa, provided the court with certified result verification.
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The third witness against the Senator was Demonstration Primary School, represented by the school’s principal, Dr. Ibrahim Yusuf.
The school provided the court with its registration records from 1982 to 1986, which did not list Lawal Adamu Usman as a student, as he claimed in the documents he submitted to INEC prior to the 2023 general elections.
Principal of Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Gwagwalada, Bello Suleiman, also testified before the tribunal, stating that according to available records at the school, there was no candidate with the name Lawal Adamu Usman from 1986 to 1994, as claimed by Senator Lawal Adamu Usman on form CF001 submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 general elections.
Following the issuance of subpoenas by the court through the Petitioner’s Counsel, Johnson Usman SAN, two additional witnesses, including an INEC representative, were summoned.
During the tribunal proceedings, Counsel for the first respondent, M.A. Magaji SAN, cross-examined all witnesses without opposition.
In response to questions from journalists shortly after the court session, Johnson Usman SAN, counsel for Muhammad Sani Abdullahi of the APC, explained that one of the petition’s grounds was the qualification of the first respondent to run for office, given his presentation of forged certificates, as well as substantial noncompliance with the electoral act.
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All testifying institutions submitted their school records to the court as evidence.
The court adjourned to the 11th of July, 2023, to continue the admission of additional witnesses in the defendant’s certificate forgery case.