Server results released by whistle-blower in INEC – Atiku’s expert witness

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*Buhari, Atiku

A witness, Mr. David Njoga, called by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the February 23 presidential election, Mr. Atiku Abubakar told the Justice Mohammed Garba-led Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Friday that the server results presented by the petitioners as the authentic results of the election were released by a whistle-blower in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The PDP and its presidential candidate are challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the poll.

Njoga who is Witness 59 called by the litigants was earlier called to the witness box by the petitioners’ lawyer, Mr. Chris Uche.

Under cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, Mr. Yunus Usman, the witness said he analysed the results of the election obtained from INEC’s server and published on a website, www.factsdontlie.com.

He said the website was created on March 12, 2019.

Furthermore, he said the “the site does not belong to INEC but the data it contains is from INEC server.”

He confirmed that he had “never worked with INEC before”.

“Normally, websites are designed for different purposes. The information on the website is from an INEC official.”

“The results on the website are from INEC server.

“The name of the INEC official is anonymous. He is a whistleblower,” he added.

Asked if he knew the whistle-blower he said “No”.

Asked if the whistleblower was a robot, he said, “My lords, robots do not create websites.”

Also on Friday, the petitioners called Witness 60, Mr. Joseph Gbenga as an expert witness.

Gbenga, an industrial chemistry graduate from the University of Ilorin, described himself as a database analyst and designer engaged by the petitioners to analyse the results of the presidential poll in 11 out of the 36 states of the federation.

Asked under cross-examination by Usman, if he had been certified to carry out the type of job he did for the petitioners, Gbenga gave a negative answer.

“I have undergone training but I have not been certified,” he said

Fielding more cross-examination questions from the respondents’ lawyers, he said he carried out his analysis through the inspection of result sheets from 11 states.

He said could not get the certified true copies for Zamfara State, and had to rely on the pink duplicate copies.

He did not give the full list of the 11 states whose results he analysed.

Asked if he was not mindful of whether or not the petitioners won or lost in the 11 states, he said: “I am not aware that the petitioners conceded defeat in eight of the 11 states.

“If I applied my mind to whether or not the petitioners won or lost, I would not be able to come up with a professional and an unbiased report.”

With Punch report

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