 The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has opened and closed its defence in the petition by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, announced the closure of the first respondent’s case after the conclusion of the testimony of its sole witness, Dr Lawrence Bayode, a Deputy Director in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department of INEC.
 Before calling on its witness, INEC tendered some documents which were admitted and marked as exhibits. Led in chief by Mahmood, the witness told the court that he worked for INEC for 24 years.
 Under cross-examination by Patrick Ikwueto, SAN counsel for the petitioners the witness told the court that the testing of the software application for the election was carried out on Feb 4. He added that there was a report on the testing but it was not with him in the court.
The petitioners, however, tendered the E- transmission saver Web and compliance form through the witness and was admitted and marked as evidence. The witness told the court that the pre-production test was carried out before the election. When asked if the hard copy of the results would be different from the ones in the IreV, he said no.
 He also admitted that the performance, functionality and vulnerability tests were carried out before the election.
 In his cross-examination, Wole Olanipekun, SAN counsel for Tinubu and Shettima asked if the foundation and authenticity of any election by INEC is rooted in forms EC8A and EC8E, and the witness said yes.
The witness added that blurred documents downloaded from INEC IreV would not affect the physical results in form EC8A because the image it is not relevant. He said the election is ended with the recording, snapping and sending to INEC ‘s IreV.
 After the testimony of the sole witness, Mahmoud told the court that INEC’s defence in the Obi and Labour Party petition is closed.
Olanipekun later told the court that Tinubu and Shetimma, who are listed as second and third respondents in the petition will tomorrow open their defence.
The five-member panel presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned until tomorrow for Tinubu and Shettima to open their defence.
