From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
A petitioners’ witness, Adebowale Abayomi stunned all at the sitting of the Kogi State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja on Thursday when he admitted that he voted in a polling unit where he was not registered during the last election in Kogi West senatorial district.
Abayomi featured as a witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Dino Melaye, who are challenging the outcome of the election won by Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
When called to the witness stand, Abayomi adopted his written statement and told the tribunal, led by Justice Isa Sambo, that he voted at polling unit 004.
Abayomi said he served, during the election, as the petitioners’ polling agent during the election.
Under cross-examination by Adyemi’s lawyer, Dr. Dapo Otitoju, Abayomi who said he is a civil servant, said there was no violence in his polling unit.
The witness admitted that he was not a registered voter in the polling unit where he cast his vote during the election.
The exchange between the witness and Adyemi’s lawyer went thus:
Otitoju: ”Again, I will be correct to say voting took place up to the point the result was declared?”
Abayomi: ”Yes!”
Otitoju: ”Do you have any other name from the one you mentioned?”
Abayomi: ”No!”
Otitoju: ”Where did you vote?”
Abayomi: ”Unit 004.”Otitoju: ”Take a look at exhibit P25.9 (a copy of the voters’ register for the polling unit) and show the court your name in that exhibit where you claimed to have voted.”
Abayomi: ”My name is not in the register,” the witness said, after staring at the register for about 15 minutes.
The witness later admitted that his name is not in the register because he was not a registered voters in that polling unit.
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Another witness of the petitioners, Abduganiyu Mustapha admitted, under cross-examination, that there was no violence in the election.
Mustapha, who said he is a businessman, had adopted his written statement, in which he had claimed, among others that the election witnessed violence.
In response to a specific question by Otitoju, whether or not there was violence during the election, Mustapha said, ”No, there was none in all the units I monitored.”
A third petitioners’ witness, Kayode Medibi Friday said there was no reported case of gun shot during the election.
According to him, no electorate was injured during the election.
When asked if he noticed a gun shot in his polling unit, the witness said: ”No, no disruption at all.
”People voted peacefully, results were counted under a conducive atmosphere.”
Proceedings resume on Friday before the tribunal in Abuja.
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