Obi-Datti Media Corrects Misleading Report by Punch Newspaper on Witness Testimony Duration

In response to a recent article published by Punch Newspaper on May 20th, 2023, we would like to clarify and correct the misleading information presented. The headline, "Give me seven weeks to produce witnesses, Obi tells Tribunal," misrepresents the statement made by our legal counsel during the proceedings of the Election Petition Tribunal.

Contrary to what was reported, Peter Obi did not request the court to grant him seven weeks to bring in his witnesses. Rather, he implied that he would be able to present all 50 witnesses within a span of seven weeks. Our lead counsel, Eme Awa Kalu, SAN, specified that Peter Obi and the Labour Party intend to call upon 50 witnesses who would require seven weeks collectively to present their evidence before the Tribunal.

It is crucial to note that at no point did our counsel state that they needed "Seven weeks to produce witnesses," as erroneously conveyed by the Punch Newspaper. The accurate interpretation of our lawyers' statement is that the entire process of presenting our witnesses, from start to finish, would span seven weeks. We are not implying that the court should wait for seven weeks before the first witness is called, as suggested by the Punch article.

We urge all media outlets to assign competent reporters to cover this significant case. Specifically, we call upon Punch Newspaper to promptly rectify this misrepresentation by publishing a correction with the same prominence as the original front-page headline, ensuring the accurate information reaches the public.

Diran Onifade

Head, Obi-Datti Media

May 21, 2023

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