Having ‘smartly’ avoided being exposed via cross-examination at the on-going Presidential Election Petition Tribunal holding in Abuja by refusing to call any witness for any manner of evidence testimony, INEC through their lead counsel, Yunus Usman proceeded to cross-examine the first witness called by the second Respondent, HE Muhammadu Buhari.

But in a twist of fate very reminiscent to karma, the senior advocate put his tag team into irredeemable trouble.

In what was a routine round of questions to strengthen the witness already presented and affirmed by Buhari’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, the INEC counsel unwittingly asked one question too many.

Retired Major General Tarfa was witness number 250 on the Respondents’ deposition roll call but the first to cut the tape for Buhari at exactly 2.40 pm.

Usman took over…

“You were enlisted in the Nigerian Army same time with President Buhari, right? “

“Very right, my Lord, ” responded Gen Tarfa.

“Which year? “

“1962.”

“The medium of instruction was English Language and English Language alone, right?” Usman went on.

“Yes.”

“You and Buhari passed all your examinations in flying colours, right?”

“Absolutely, my Lord.”

The counsel asked a couple of more questions, which the witness answered harmlessly.

Then he asked what he must have believed was his clincher.

“When you were admitted, you and Buhari handed over your certificates to the Nigerian Army, correct?”

“There was never such thing my Lord,” the retired General was emphatic, making Usman to end his session almost abruptly.

When it got to Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, leading the Petitioners counsels, the senior advocate professionally asked just two questions. He had seen the damage done to Buhari and decided not to go for over kill.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had claimed the Nigerian Army took his certificates on admission and still has them till date.

This is the mother of all election petitions.

Keep following as…

#HistoryBeckons.