Political correspondent, TV presenter, caster, TV presenter, Media consultant, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor has asked to know if she committed any crime by representing the African Independent Television (AIT) at the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC.
Recall that on Friday, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor who anchors the program, “politics today” on African Independent Television, AIT testified for Peter Obi and the Labour Party at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Mrs Ijeoma Osamor was subpoenaed as ‘7th witness (PW 7) for Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
When she was being cross examined by APC counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, Osamor said INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the results of the February 25 presidential election would be transmitted live. This the petitioners said the INEC chairman failed to fulfill, using it as a yardstick to revoke the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Video evidence tendered before the PEPC by the petitioners bordered around clips showing the INEC Chairman at different times assuring Nigerians of the use of technology in the Presidential election.
The Court however admitted in evidence another flash drive and played it in the open court. This contained a clip of Mahmoud delivering a speech emphasizing the deployment of BVAS and IReV for the elections.
When asked by Owonikoko if she was aware that a few days before the election, Yakubu in a press statement said the results would no longer be uploaded real-time.
Osamor said her news organisation is focused on live coverage of events and programmes.
Owonikoko also, raised the issue and cited a publication by The Tribune on February 23 that election results would no longer be transmitted in real-time.
Reacting to this, Osamor said the Tribune publication could have been based on an interview with the reporter.
However, following her participation at the Presidential Election Petition Court, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor has been receiving backlashes from people who found her participation in the event unfavorable.
Reacting to the backlashes coming her way owing to the case, she took to twitter to ask if she did something wrong by representing the television station she works with.
In her twitter post, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor noted that African Independent Television, AIT and other TV stations were subpoenaed by the Presidential election petition Court to play a video by INEC Chairman aired on Democracy Today, on 23rd Nov 2022. She added that she was authorised by the management of AIT to represent the television station, asking if she committed any crime by honouring the authority of the management of AIT.
THIS IS THE FULL DETAILS OF CROSS-EXAMINATION
Political correspondent, TV presenter, caster, TV presenter, Media consultant, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor has asked to know if she committed any crime by representing the African Independent Television (AIT) at the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC.
Recall that on Friday, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor who anchors the program, “politics today” on African Independent Television, AIT testified for Peter Obi and the Labour Party at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Mrs Ijeoma Osamor was subpoenaed as ‘7th witness (PW 7) for Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
When she was being cross examined by APC counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, Osamor said INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the results of the February 25 presidential election would be transmitted live. This the petitioners said the INEC chairman failed to fulfill, using it as a yardstick to revoke the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Video evidence tendered before the PEPC by the petitioners bordered around clips showing the INEC Chairman at different times assuring Nigerians of the use of technology in the Presidential election.
The Court however admitted in evidence another flash drive and played it in the open court. This contained a clip of Mahmoud delivering a speech emphasizing the deployment of BVAS and IReV for the elections.
When asked by Owonikoko if she was aware that a few days before the election, Yakubu in a press statement said the results would no longer be uploaded real-time.
Osamor said her news organisation is focused on live coverage of events and programmes.
Owonikoko also, raised the issue and cited a publication by The Tribune on February 23 that election results would no longer be transmitted in real-time.
Reacting to this, Osamor said the Tribune publication could have been based on an interview with the reporter.
However, following her participation at the Presidential Election Petition Court, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor has been receiving backlashes from people who found her participation in the event unfavorable.
Reacting to the backlashes coming her way owing to the case, she took to twitter to ask if she did something wrong by representing the television station she works with.
In her twitter post, Mrs. Ijeoma Osamor noted that African Independent Television, AIT and other TV stations were subpoenaed by the Presidential election petition Court to play a video by INEC Chairman aired on Democracy Today, on 23rd Nov 2022. She added that she was authorised by the management of AIT to represent the television station, asking if she committed any crime by honouring the authority of the management of AIT.
Now back to Arise witness
Q. You’re an experienced broadcaster?
A. Correct
Q. You’re also familiar with the use of computers and various platforms for transmitting or broadcasting
A. Yes
Q. You know the difference between transfer of information and transmission
A. Yes. Transfer means moving it from one Known/designated location to another known/designated location.
Q. Transmission on the other hand does not necessarily connotes transfer from one location to another
A. Yes
Q. You work with AriseTV?
A. Arise News
Q. When you broadcast, you are actually transmitting?
Q. Yes
Q. Any number of persons withing transmission zone can access it if they have appropriate device?
A. Yes
Q. You’ll agree that technically, transfer and transmission are distinct
A. Yes.
That’s all
2nd and 3rd Respondent cross-examination
Q. Do you confirm you were not at Chatham House during that briefing?
A. Physically, No. It was a live streaming, so I was present online.
Q. The national chairman, INEC, Prof Yakubu Mahmoud is still alive today?
A. Yes, as far as I know
That’s all for the witness…
4TH RESPONDENT CROSS-EXAMINATION
Q. can you summarize the message of relevance in the drive that was played.
A. In summary, INEC and it’s officials decided to use technology for the elections
Q. Out of that deployment of technology will include use of bvas exclusively for accreditation of voters?
A. In my understanding
Q. Before 2023 election, you had observed election, you knew how accreditation was done. Bvas not used in 2019
A. Yes, in 2019. Bvas was not used
Q. Bvas was an innovation in 2023 election?
A. I think so
Q. Will I be right to say you’re familiar with INEC regulations and guidelines
A. I’m not totally familiar
Q. From the flash that you played, we heard the chairman of INEC indicating that for the purpose of carrying public along, copies of completed Forms EC8As will be snapped and uploaded on the IREV protal, is that correct?
A. Yes
Q. That was about 17th January, referring to paragraph 12 of your statement?
A. Yes
Q. Between 17 January and 25 February, your station and other media houses had regular interface with INEC?
A. I believe so, but my duty is not editorial but technical.
Q. Content on Arise TV, you also get to view them either live or afterwards in a recorded version?
A. Yes, as much as I can
Q. After 17 January, did you by an chance happen to know that a Federal High Court in Abuja….
OBJECTION BY LP LAWYER (Angrily)
Objection by Ikwueto: the witness came for a specific purpose to produce video and they are asking him about what High Court did. He came to produce, tender and play in open court the recording of Mahmoud Conference in Chatham House by the Subpoena.
Court: Evidence act allows them not to remain on the basis of coming.
Ikwueto SAN: My Lord, but it must be based on the facts.
Court: you’d have allowed him to land on the question, he had not finish asking the question, he only mentioned federal High Court Judgment.
Q. Are you aware that after Chatham House interview, INEC informed the public that they were no longer going to transmit electronically
A. I’m not aware of such
Q. Will you be surprised that at the Tribune 23rd February, INEC reported that they were no longer going to transmit electronically?
A. Specifically No
Nawa ooo
The lawyer of the 4th respondents want to tender the paper from the bar and the court is shocked and refuses that he is not the maker and the witness says he knows nothing about the documents.
The witness is now discharged without any reexamination.
See rigging inside court kwa.
Thank God say judges no gree.
Ikwueto SAN:
He now tells the court that they will now call PW6
Court:
You mean your short witness, I thought it’s Aki and Pawpaw
All the Respondents are asking to come back by Monday, skipping Saturday.
Dr. Livy now addresses the Court that the witness required to give evidence, the burial ceremony of their Chairman of the organization (AIT)is starting Monday and will not be disposed to come.
The court now allows them to take the witness today and Dr. Livy says tomorrow can be a free day.
They’ll now call the witness, PW6… It’s a lady
It’s the favourite Ijeeeeeeooooma Osamor from AIT
We will now move into Examination in Chief.
Q. Your name is Ijeaoma Osamor
A. Yes
Q. Where do you work?
A. With DAAR Communications, owners of AIT, RayPower and Faaji I have my ID card with me.
(Ikwueto now seeks to tender her ID Card, they’ve made a copy of the card, he notes)
Now to Objections. There are no objections.
The Court:
The Copy of PW6 Staff ID Card is hereby admitted into evidence and marked as Exhibits PCH accordingly.
As the court pleases…
Q. Your organization was served with a subpoena to attend court today?
A. Yes, I have a copy of the subpoena
Q. Following that Subpoena, you came to this court and deposed to a witness Statement?
A. Yes
Q. Would you like the court to adopt it as your evidence
A. Of course
OBJECTIONS
2nd and 3rd Respondents:
They object that the WSO were not front loaded (given before hearing) and they adopt their earlier arguments in that regard and to uphold the Objection & render the witness incompetent to testify.
1st Respondent:
They object on similar grounds
4th Respondent:
They also readopt their earlier objection in same regard.
Q. If you see the witness statement, will you identify it?
A. Yes, by my signature… She now identifies the document.
Q. You said in your witness statement in Para5-9 that, you anchored on Democracy Today on 2nd November 2022.
A. Yes I said that
Q. You have the recording
A. Yes
Q. Do you have the flash drive?
A. Yes, I have it here.
(Ikwueto now applies to tender the dri
OBJECTIONS
All Parties do not have any objections to the admission of the flash drive into evidence.
The Court:
The Flash Drive is hereby admitted into evidence and marked as Exhibits PCH1 accordingly.
As the court pleases…
The copy of the Subpoena is now also tendered by Ikwueto SAN
All Respondents do not object to the subpoena document being tendered.
The Court:
The Subpoena is hereby admitted into evidence and marked as Exhibits PCH2 accordingly.
As the court pleases…
Ikwueto SAN now applies to the court for the flash drive to be played…
There’s no objections to the video being played by all Respondents.
I told you guys to get popcorn, it’s not that expensive.
A video is now being played. It shows Ijeoma Osamor on Democracy today where she also played a video where Mahmoud is heard to say copies of results will be uploaded to IREV by the BVAS device.
He further assures Nigerians that BVAS has come to stay and ‘results will be uploaded REAL-TIME AND NIGERIANS WILL VIEW IT BEING UPLOADED DIRECTLY 4rm POLLING UNITS.
He also assures that it will be done in real time, that it has been done in other elections and will be done now.
On collection of PVCs, he assures Nigerians that the commission will soon release the guidelines for the further collection of the PVCs.
That brings it to an end of the video of about 3 minutes.
I’ll post the video later
1ST RESPONDENT CROSS-EXAMINATION
NO QUESTIONS but thanks the witness for coming.
2ND AND 3RD RESPONDENTS CROSS-EXAMINATION
Q. That video you just played, you said in your witness statement that you anchored the program?
Yes sir.
Q. You had cameramen of AIT who took pictures of that program
A. Yes, every studio, there are cameramen
Q. It’s not part of your duty to handle camera?
A. No it’s not.
Q. Now, you said the program was streamed live on Facebook and YouTube?
A. Yes My Lord
Q. The only other role that you played before we got to this video was you to go to Facebook to download with ur phone
A. Yes
Q. You transfered the video from Facebook to the flash
A. I used my phone to get the video when I was asked to provide the copy of the video by the subpoena
Q. How come about the flash drive
A. Flash drive was from the office. I sent what I downloaded to them and further transferred to the drive.
Q. There were 3 levels of operations before the flash drive.
A. Yes
Q. The National Chairman of INEC seen in the video is still alive
A. Before I came into the court, he was alive, I don’t know thereafter
Nice Answer. This is the third time they re asking this question. Una don kill this man?
4TH RESPONDENT CROSS-EXAMINATION
Q. the report which took place in your program was an event outside of the AIT?
A. Yes My Lord
Q. The program Democracy Today is anchored inside the AIT Studio?
A. Yes My Lord
Q. And AIT crew attended that program?
A. Yes
Q. It was their recording brought back to the studio you played during your program?
A. Yes My Lord
Q. Please what’s the duration of Democracy Today?
A. It’s 55minutes
Q. Every short program, a copy of the recording must be kept in studio
A. Because we stream live…
A. We have the studio copy and online copy
Q. The one you brought to the court, you got it from cyberspace
A. Yes
Q. Did you have any challenge making a copy from the official copy in the studio
A. We only keep them in the libraries and I got a call by at about 11pm.
A. For shortness of time, I accessed the online copy
Q. The versions kept in the library, do you normally submit copies to NBC
A. NBC comes sometimes to get records of broadcast and visitors
Q. I’ll be right to say that since this was an official order of court, you’ll prefer to use the official copy?
A. If I had enough time, I’d have even gone to my hard drive to get it because I’m the correspondent.
Q. You were instructed by AIT who received the subpoena
A. ASAP, get this as soon as possible.
This lady na fire
Q. Apart from the events of 22nd November, you also gave full coverage of the events leading to Presidential elections.
A. Yes
Q. Do you access copies from other media houses?
A. Our news is breaking, we don’t accept second hand report.
Q. Do you recall a breaking news of 23rd of February 2023 that INEC chairman was no longer going to be transmission of results.
A. INEC chairman I covered did not mention that they will no longer transmit. I was there on 22nd, 23rd 24th and I can confirm that there was no such.
Tell them to their faces 🤣😂😂🤣
Q. So you’ll be surprised to see that news.
A. Newspaper can get information from interviews, we deal with cameras.
FACT
That’s all for the cross-examination
I LOVE THIS LADY I SWEAR
Ikwueto applies for the discharge of the witness who he says indeed she has shown that she’s a professional broadcaster
*Court: are you marketing her?
Ikwueto: my Lord, TRADING, that’s what my people do very well
Go and ask Peter Obi…
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