More witnesses testify in Rivers Gov election tribunal

More witnesses were called by Justice J. A. Orjiako-led Rivers state Governorship election tribunal sitting in Port Harcourt the state capital on Thursday.

Gubernatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party(ADP) in the state, Victor Fingesi instituted the case against the declaration of the state Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples’Democratic Party (PDP) was announced winner of March 9 governorship election in the state, the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC).

Fingesi, a security expert, alleged that election did not hold in the state in March 9, following reported electoral malpractice and violence which characterized the governoship poll in the state.

He based his claims on INEC’s statement of  March 15, on the exercise announcing the suspension of the process in the state, especially the collation of results, siting wide-spread electoral violence and tension as reasons.

The Petitioner and his political had approached the three-man election tribunal to nullify INEC’s action and order for a fresh and violent-free exercise poll to be held.

The petitioners and INEC have since concluded their case, the PDP and it’s candidate, Governor Wike who are 2nd and 3rd respondent in the suite are presently present invention their witnesses.

Read Also: ‘INEC was unfair to Rivers State’

A total of 18 witnesses have already been called by the party.

They are mainly ward and LGA collation agents for the party and Governor Wike during the exercise, each denied the INEC electoral violent report, insisting that the poll held and was also peaceful.

However, under cross-examination, counsel  for the petition, Dolapo Tella Attoni discovered that the PDP witness, Chioma Ogwugwueli, a male, who appeared before the panelists with a document appointing him as collation agent for Emohua ward 3, in the March 9, governoship election, had  earlier in his witness statement deposited before the tribunal registry, which is also before the tribunal, named him as the LGA collation agent, instead of one Adiele Ogbor he claimed

“I served and worked as Emohua LGA Ward 3, collation agent in the governorship election as appointed by my PDP party.”

On the question of whether INEC officials did sign the EC-8B (result sheet), document after collating the ward election results in accordance with electoral guideline said “I do not know”.

Also under cross-examination, PDP witness, Nwaobilor Jonas Morgan, who is also the party ward collation agent in the poll, also admitted that peaceful election was held in his ward 3, Igbo 1, Etche LGA, and the results dully collated and announced by INEC officials at the ward collation centre and the EC-8B signed by INEC and copies given to him were handed over to his PDP LGA collation agent.

Asked if he would be surprised to hear that ward 3, Igbo 1, Etche LGA election result that was supposedly entered in EC-8B,  which was claimed was signed by INEC officials at the ward collation centre was not frontloaded by INEC, swiftly reacted.

He said: “It is not possible”and then said, “I am not aware that INEC did not frontload ward 3, Igbo 1, EC-8B form in the compiled result sheets for the polls in Etche LGA.”