From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
Witnesses called by the People Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last election in Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye, failed on Wednesday to establish their claims that the election was marred by irregularities.
The PDP and Mekaye, are by a petition before the National Assembly Election Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, claiming among others, that the November 30, 2019 senatorial election was marred by irregularities, including violence and over-voting.
At the resumption of proceedings on Wednesday, the petitioners’ witnesses adopted their written statements before the tribunal, headed by Justice Isa Sambo, in which they supported the petitioners’ claim of irregularities.
But, binder cross-examination, the witnesses failed to substantiate their claims as contained in the statements they earlier adopted.
One of the witnesses, Ayodele Olayinka, an artisan, in his evidence before the court admitted that there was no disruption of the election process.
Olayinka said no one tampered with the ballot paper of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the election.
He said, ” There was no disruption of the electoral processing in my polling unit. Nobody tampered with the ballot papers during the election.
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“The result of the election was announced to the hearing of everyone without objection from any of the agents. The election was violent free.”
Another witness, who gave his name as Honourable Abiodun Aremu, told the tribunal that he registered at Ward 04, and added that there are five polling units in the ward.
Aremu said he has complaints against polling unit (PU) 02 out of the five PUs in the Ward.
He alleged that there was under-voting in the ward, but told the tribunal that there was no complaint from voters at the polling unit where he voted.
Earlier, a petirioners’ witness, Salihu Muhammed denied authoring the statements where it was claimed that he signed the result sheet of his collation centre at gun point.
Muhammed, while being crossed examined lawyer to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Smart Adeyemi (listed as the
2nd respondent), Dapo Otitoju, said the statement on oath, bearing his signature was prepared by his lawyer and not by himself.
The witness also denied that he moved round all the collation centers in his Ward, said he only made a little movement.
Another petitioners’ witness, Useni Muhammad from Odarki Ward, who said he is a retired civil servant, told the tribunal that he could not read.
Muhammad equally said he erred in signing the statement on oath when he could not understand what his lawyer wrote.
The witness agreed that the election was free and fair and added that his claim, in his written statement that there was violence during the election, was as a result of what he heard from others.
Muhammad said his area witness no chaos during the poll.
The tribunal suspended proceedings for a while at the conclusion of Muhammad’s testimony, but resulted later with another petitioners’ witness, Abubakar Alhasan, who adopted his written statement.
Under cross examination by the lawyer to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chris Alashy, Alhassan who said he was still seeking admission, when he had indicated, in his statement that he is a student.
Alhasan said though he was the collation agent for the PDP in his polling unit, the result was signed by his colleague, whose name he claimed he could not recall.
Also, Suraju Adamu from Giriyan, Kogi LGA, who testified for the petitioners, claimed he used calculator to reconcile the error his agents made at the poling units and was able to deduce, in his personal capacity, that their was over voting.
Further hearing resumes on Thursday
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