Abia gov: Otti’s witnesses close case at Tribunal

PETER OKORE, Umuahia
Hearing in the consolidated governorship election petition before the Abia Election Tribunal between Dr. Alex Otti and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has entered its critical moments as principal witnesses are cross examined.
Otti, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, governorship candidate in the last April, 2015 election is challenging the declaration of Governor Ikpeazu of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The respondents in the petition are Gov. Ikpeazu, the PDP and INEC.
Meanwhile, 20 principal witnesses for Otti have completed making their presentations and adopting a number of documents, just as witnesses to the respondents, Thursday,20 2015 commenced their evidences and cross examinations by the lead counsel for the petitioner.

 
When Mrs. Abimbola Olajujoye, the Assistant Director in-charge of ICT, Card Reader Department of the INEC office, Abuja entered the dock, following an order from the Tribunal (Tuesday) for cross-examination, adopt her written statement and submit Certificates covering card readers report of the governorship election in Abia state, there were some objections from the respondents (for Ikpeazu, PDP and INEC). But all parties in the petition agreed and adopted the results of the governorship elections for Osisioma, Obingwa, Isialangwa-North, Ugwunagbo,Umunneochi and Umuahia-North Local Government Areas, respectively.
The objections by the three respondents to the petition to allow Mrs. Abimbola to appear in the witness box, instead of Mr. Chidi Okafor, a Director in INEC, generated very serious legal arguments from both the petitioner and respondents. There were arguments that as a civil servant serving under the INEC, established by law, Abimbola, as an official of INEC is not at liberty to give evidence in support of a petitioner, except with a written consent of the Attorney-General of the federation.

 
Counsel for Ikpeazu, PDP and INEC argued that it was against public policy for official of INEC; deemed to have conducted that election, to turn round to give evidence against the election it was deemed she conducted.
But lead counsel for Dr. Otti cited several law authorities and urged the tribunal to dismiss the objection. At that stage the court became so rowdy coupled with the unnecessary stampede, which arose when a young man (a suspected epileptic patient) suddenly fell down and lay motionless on the floor inside the court hall; this incidents prompted the Tribunal chairman, Justice Usman Bwali, to call for a break.
But in his ruling after the break, the tribunal Chairman over-ruled the objection. He said an assistant director can stand-in for INEC and adopts a statement from the office.
An objection by the three respondents for non-admissibility of voters accreditation data for the governorship election in Abia State because there was no evidence of payment for the CTC of the document brought before the court was over-ruled.
But the plea by the counsel for Otti to allow the INEC official to give additional oral evidence in support of her written statement was objected by the respondents. The Tribunal chairman however, up-held the objection.
The last witness for the petitioner was Mr. Ahamba Nweke. Objection by respondents not to admit the documents of the governorship election from different LGA’s submitted by Nweke, were also over-ruled. Cross-examinations on the documents continued on Thursday.