Politics
PEPT: Obi Calls Cyber Security Expert As Eight Witness
On Thursday, cyber security expert Dr. Chibuike Ugwoke stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) uploaded a picture of a book on its results viewing portal, IReV instead of displaying the results of the presidential election that took place on February 25.
Dr. Ugwoke, appeared before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja as the eighth witness (PW-8). He testified in a case initiated by Mr. Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), who seeks to invalidate President Bola Tinubu’s election.
After commencing his testimony on Wednesday, the expert witness known as PW-8 was unable to complete his cross-examination as the Respondents raised concerns about needing more time to review his sworn statement.
As a result, during the proceedings on Thursday, the witness was called back to the stand. Each of the Respondents, including INEC, President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), had the opportunity to question him before the five-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani.
During the cross-examination, Dr. Ugwoke revealed that he had conducted an analysis on INEC’s ICT infrastructure, specifically focusing on what he referred to as “Meta Data.”
During his testimony, Dr. Ugwoke informed the court that the Meta Data he analyzed accurately described the information stored in the system.
He stated that his analysis focused on 12 polling units across three states: Bauchi, Anambra, and Rivers. Additionally, he mentioned that his report, which was submitted as evidence, also referenced Benue state.
The witness further disclosed that the petitioners sought his expertise on March 10 to examine the content uploaded by INEC onto its IReV portal following the presidential election.
“Though I initially sent a preliminary report which was more like an overview, around March 1, I later wrote an elaborate report in the middle of May,” he stated.
The witness acknowledged that before preparing his final report, which was submitted as evidence, he had read Mr. Obi’s petition along with the responses provided by the Respondents.
During his testimony, the witness stated that his analysis uncovered that INEC officials had made erroneous inputs into the IReV portal using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.
When questioned about whether he knew the identities of those responsible for the incorrect inputs, the witness responded by saying, “I don’t know who made the uploads, but it was from the BVAS, and the number is there.”
He said though he did not in the course of his assignment, interrogate any INEC official, “but I interrogated the INEC manual.”
Asked if he contacted the Labour Party to give him what should have been the actual results from the polling units, the witness, said: “No my lords, I did not”.
“In one of the instances, the picture of a book was uploaded instead of election results. I interrogated the Amazon Web Services, AWS, that was how I got to know because the information was there in the server,” he stated.
The witness informed the court that he specifically selected 12 polling units out of the total 176,846 across the country, based on his proof of consent.
Regarding INEC’s claim of technical glitches affecting the electronic transmission of results, the witness stated that such technological errors could be identified during the testing phase of an application before its actual deployment.
He said: “Errors arise at the time of testing, but after deployment, the probability for an error to arise may be very negligible. However, it is not impossible for error to arise after deployment.
“I used three states to show that it is possible to display the meta data in the IReV portal. I proved that there were errors and I did not have to examine the Forms EC8As, physically, to reach my conclusion.”
Asked if he could tell that results from polling units in the states he analysed, were properly collated, the witness, said: “That was not for me to prove, I only presented the facts.”
He told the court that all he did was from his computer, adding that he was familiar with the AWS, which INEC engaged for the general elections.
“AWS security is a shared responsibility model between the company and a client..With respect to security, there are three components; confidentiality, integrity and availability of data.
“Availability simply means that the data would not shut down and will be readily accessible when needed. That aspect is the responsibility of the AWS.” he added.
Asked if there was anything about electronic collating system in a press statement that INEC issued on the use of BVAS, which was cited in his report, the witness, said: “Yes, it was inferred in the last paragraph.”he added.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
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Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
SEE MORE: Fubara Moves to Rebuild Cabinet as R/Assembly Screens Nine Commissioner Nominees
The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday began the screening of nine commissioner nominees submitted by the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, as part of efforts to reconstitute the state’s Executive Council.
The nominees arrived at the Assembly complex around 10 a.m. and were ushered into the chamber to undergo the screening exercise conducted by lawmakers.
Those screened include Datonye Alasia, Tonye Bellgam, Temple Nwofor, Peters Nwagor, Mrs. Charity Deemua, Tamuno Williams, Lekue Kenneth, Otonye TKD Amachree, and Amairigha Hart.
SEE ALSO: APC Sweeps Both Rivers Assembly Seats Despite Low Turnout
During the session, each nominee mounted the podium to introduce themselves and respond to questions from members of the Assembly.
The proceedings were broadcast live on Arise TV.
Governor Fubara had earlier forwarded the list of nominees to the Assembly on March 5, 2026, following his dissolution of the State Executive Council in a move aimed at forming a new cabinet to assist in running the affairs of the state.
Prior to the screening, the Assembly directed the nominees to submit 40 copies of their curriculum vitae, photocopies of their academic credentials, and evidence of tax compliance as part of the confirmation process.
The directive was contained in a notice signed by the Clerk of the House, Dr. Emeka Amadi.
The screening exercise comes months after political activities resumed fully in the state following the lifting of a state of emergency by Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria.
The emergency rule, which was imposed on March 18, 2025, led to the suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the state legislature amid a prolonged political crisis linked to a power struggle between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who currently serves as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
However, the six-month emergency rule was lifted on September 17, 2025, paving the way for the restoration of democratic governance and legislative activities in the oil-rich state.
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