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Tag: governorship

  • Gombe governorship contest not over —APC

    The All Progressive Congress (APC) has asserted that its challenge of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo victory at the April 11, 2015 governorship polls is far from over despite Wednesday’s judgment, which upheld the victory.

    Counsel to the party and its candidate at the tribunal, Abdulganiyu Mohammed Bello, gave the indication briefly after the judgment.

    He said: “To my client and his supporters, I am asking them to take it easy. This is the first step, and like we said, we are going to examine the judgment and see the next step to take. It’s a contest and there is no problem.”

    He commended the judges for a well thought out judgment.

    Speaker of Gombe State House of Assembly, Alhaji Abubakar Nasiru Nono, called on the people of the state to respect the rule of law and the judgment.

    He said the final judgment underscored the credibility of the judiciary in Nigeria and also showed that the votes of the masses truly count.

    The Speaker expressed satisfaction with the conclusion of the case. “God has through it established the truth of the matter,” he said. “And the truth is on our side, we are the party that Gombe people truly voted for and God has now established that.

    “This implies that we are respecting the rule of law, which is a step forward for democracy. We are happy that the votes of our electorates are being highly protected. So we are proud of the judiciary.

    “So, let me use this opportunity to congratulate the Executive Governor of Gombe state, Alhaji, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, PDP supporters and the people of Gombe generally. My call to the entire people of Gombe state is to respect this rule of Law and respect this judgment.”

  • Siasia joins Bayelsa governorship race

    Siasia joins Bayelsa governorship race

    A governorship aspirant in Bayelsa State, Moses Siasia, has submitted his nomination form as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, with a pledge to liberate the state from the shackles of oppression, debt and inept leadership.

    The Chairman of Mosilo Group said his candidature is driven by the people who seek genuine change. He promised to create jobs for the teeming youths and make education affordable.

    Siasia spoke in Abuja after submitting his Expression of Interest and Nomination Form to the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). He was received by the party’s National Secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi Igwe.

    Siasia reiterated his  commitment to the implementation of policies that would create an enabling environment for employment generation and wealth creation, adding that he would also give impetus to education, health care delivery, urban renewal, agriculture and industrial development.

    He said: “In furtherance of substantiating and advancing my commitment to run for the Governorship Seat of Bayelsa State in December 5th 2015, I have finally submitted my Expression of Interest/Nomination Form to the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) National Secretariat in Abuja.”

    Siasia also pledged to transform Bayelsa into the economic hub of the Southsouth.

  • Drama time at Rivers Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal

    The Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal is on its last stretch. After no less than three months of sitting, it is getting to the stage where witnesses are rounding off their evidence for Governor Nyesom Wike. The All Progressives Congress (APC), its candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have already taken their turns to present witnesses before the tribunal. Today will mark the second day that the witnesses of Governor Nyesom Wike will mount the box to give their evidence.

    As expected, Peterside and APC brought witnesses to show that the election was a sham. PDP, INEC and Wike did the opposite. Wike’s witnesses started giving evidence on Wednesday. He has six days to call witnesses. By the end of today, he would have had two days, which means he still has Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to wrap up with his witnesses—except the tribunal decides otherwise.

    The first day for the PDP candidate was interesting and full of drama.  All the defence witnesses refused to read documents, feigning poor vision. The witnesses, drawn mainly from Khana, Tai and Andoni local government areas, complained of vision impairment. Not a few see this as deliberate tactic to frustrate Peterside’s petition.

    The witnesses include Monday Burabari Nkpoba, Elder Gbrone Gibson and Amos Apa,  Barisua Peter, Chief Adagbo Samson, Godwin Gbarapi and Agahigiwune Isaiah. Their excuse created free entertainment for those in the court.

    Apah, a retired civil servant from Tai Local Government Area, said he is 67 years, blaming his age for his inability to read the document. He was shown was shown Exhibit A300/5 which showed that no party agent signed the results. Samson, a civil servant from Khana, said he could not read because he forgot his reading glasses.

    Under cross-examination, Peter also introduced a drama when he said he actually started voting at 15. Now 31, he said he started voting in 1999.  The declaration of the trader, who claimed to have voted at Ward One, Unit One, Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, seemingly compounded his efforts to convince the tribunal that election actually took place in Khana on April 11.

    Peterside’s lawyer Chief Akin Olujimi faulted the witness’ deposition where he failed to mention the absence of card readers and other electoral materials during the election. Olujimi exposed the contradictions in his written and oral evidence. Peter agreed that card readers were not used for the election, as accreditation was done manually. Like others, he also refused to read from exhibits that showed that neither was there an election nor voters’ register in that unit.

    Another drama centered on attempt by lawyer to the PDP, Ifedayo Adedipe, to shield one of the witnesses from being confronted with an earlier admitted document made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The tribunal overruled Adedipe’s objection on the ground that it was premature. Justice Ambrosa held that such objection should be reserved till the final address stage.

    Also, Ambrosa, at a point, cautioned lawyers from the respondents’ camp to desist from whispering to witnesses before the tribunal.

    “We (lawyers in the case) should be careful. We (tribunal members) are not here to destroy anybody. Why carry other people’s case on your head? If you are not careful, you will have stroke in few days,” Justice Ambrosa said.

    Wike and INEC’s main task is to ‘rubbish’ evidence by witnesses for Peterisde, which include soldiers, policemen and even INEC members of staff. One of the witnesses, Mr Tafa Michael, a Superintendent of Police, who was on election duty on April 11 in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, told the tribunal that his men caught agents of the PDP thumb-printing in a house opposite their party’s secretariat at Seme in Tai Local Government Area.

    The police officer told the Justice Suleman Ambrosa-led tribunal that over 70 persons, including PDP agents, INEC members of staff,  the commission’s ad hoc staff and other individuals were arrested by his men shortly after noon on election day and were taken to their office.

    Another witness, an officer of the Department of State Security, Mr. Godwin Mba, revealed that cult groups and thugs spearheaded the violence and carnage that marred the April 11 governorship election in Rivers State.

    There were many others from the close to 60 witnesses that Peterside called. All damning. These are what Wike is trying to rubbish with the likes of Apah and Samson. And the drama has been interesting. Five more days of drama may lie ahead.

     

  • Sylva wins Bayelsa APC governorship ticket

    Sylva wins Bayelsa APC governorship ticket

    Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has emerged as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the December 5 governorship election in the state after winning the party’s primary.

    Sylva polled 981 votes to defeat his distant rival, Mr. Godknows Powell, who scored 39 votes in a peaceful primary conducted at the state secretariat of the party in Yenagoa by a seven-member Electoral Panel led by Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (retd).

    A former two-time member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Warman Ogoriba scored 28 votes; Diekivie Ikiogha, 22; Ebite Williams 9; Charity Valdego 7; Preye Aganaba 8 and Febo Austin 7.

    Others are Romeo Dekeye 10 votes; Ebitimi Amgbare 3; Ambassador Otiotio 1, Felix Oboro 1 and Christopher Enai 2.

    Out of 1147 votes cast at the poll, the chairman of the panel declared 1, 120 votes valid and invalidated 27 votes.

    The internal election was peaceful and largely devoid of rancour and violence which characterized the initial exercise that was held on September 22 at the Sports Complex.

    Delegates conducted themselves orderly and waited patiently from 11pm on Tuesday till Wednesday afternoon when they cast their votes after accreditation.

    There was, however, a brief protest at the venue of the election when Ikiogha led some aggrieved aspirants to the area accusing the panel of shutting them out of the exercise.

    For about an hour, Ikiogha, Prof. Tarila Tebepah, Pastor Apirila Tonye and Austin Ogiohwon kept the panel chairman busy with their complaints.

    Ikiogha said the panel arrived the state without meeting with them to intimate them on the modalities for the election alleging that the committee came with a mandate to stop them from partaking in the exercise.

    “This election is worse than the previous exercise that was cancelled. We are aware that a new list of delegates was compiled the previous night for the purpose of the election. This is not the change we advocated for. We are appealing for the cancellation of the election”, he said.

    But the committee chairman insisted that the process was transparent and appealed to the aggrieved aspirants to maintain the peace.

    After lodging their complaints, the angry aspirants walked out of the venue of the exercise and refused to come back till the end of the election.

    Speaking shortly after he was declared the winner of the poll by the chairman, Sylva said the victory only signaled the need for members of the party to close ranks and work harder to win the December 5 election.

    He congratulated the former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, for withdrawing from the race and demanded his support and cooperation of other aspirants ahead of the general election.

    The APC candidate commended security agents who stayed awake to maintain the peace throughout the exercise.

  • Sound bites from Rivers governorship petition tribunal

    The Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal has been full of drama since the 1st Respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), opened its defence on September 17.  The electoral body was said to have flown 20 out of twenty-three Electoral Officers involved in the election into Abuja to testify in its defence. They were reportedly lodged at Awala Hotel, Wuse Zone 11. Six of them came to the court to give their testimony.

    INEC’s lead counsel, Mr. Ikpeazu (SAN) confidently called in the Electoral Officer for Obio/Akpor Local Government Area as his first Defence Witness (DW1), who was led to adopt his witness deposition, in which he repeatedly claimed that the election was free and fair. However, the situation changed almost immediately under a firebrand cross-examination led by Chief Olujimi SAN. Under cross examination, the EO denied being aware that Card Reader was meant to be used for the April 11 Governorship Election. When pushed further, the EO maintained: “I am not aware that card reader was to be used for the Governorship Election in Rivers State.” The credibility of the witness was battered when in response to Olujimi’s question he claimed that the election in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area took place the same day, April 11, whereas it is on record, even from INEC’s documentations, that at least election in two wards were rescheduled for the following day, April 12.

    INEC called it a day after this witness and applied for adjournment till the following day. With the disappointing response of that single witness, the entire “election” in Obio/Akpor LGA had been successfully discredited. The 19 other Electoral Officers were immediately flown back to Rivers State. On September 18, when the matter was called up, Ikpeazu was reported ill and asked for further adjournment to Monday, September 21.

    On Monday, when the tribunal resumed, the counsel to INEC called in some witnesses who testified as Youth Corps members, who claimed to have “conducted election” at the polling units. Unfortunately, all the witnesses, who claimed to have been trained for the job, denied being aware of clear guidelines for the election, one of which is to the effect that where the card reader fails, the election should be postponed to the following day, a directive that is clearly written down on the electoral manual for the election. A Deputy Director from INEC, in charge of ICT, had also given evidence for the petitioner in that regard. The climax of the drama was at the point when Chief Olujimi under cross-examination requested one of the witnesses to read out a portion on the Electoral Manual, but the lady claimed that her sight had failed her and the entire tribunal burst into laughter, as spectators were heard whispering Prof. Etu Efeotor. Ikpeazu urged the tribunal to order the police to maintain order. Prof. Efeotor was the Rivers State Collation Officer for the March 28 Presidential Election, who could not read out collation figures because according to him the figures were “written under special circumstances”. Even when the Tribunal ordered the witness to read, she simply refused to. It was the provision which directed that where the card reader failed or was unavailable till the time fixed for the close of accreditation, election should be postponed to the following day.

    INEC had planned to call 50 witnesses in six days and many were wondering how the evidence of 50 polling units Presiding Officers, assuming INEC is able to call such number, would assist their case when higher authorities who monitored the elections at a general and wider level had testified at the tribunal to say that the election did not hold as prescribed under the law. They contended that if the POs were able to prove compliance, it is only as it relates to their respective units, maximum of 50 polling units, which would be very insignificant in a State of over 4,442 polling unit. They expect that the Resident Electoral Commissioner that superintended the election should be brought to testify as to the conduct of the election. Regrettably, it is not likely that the legal team is willing to take the risk of fielding the REC or any senior INEC officer.

    Wike
    Wike

    Expressing their deep concern, many seem to be suggesting that it is a very bad case for Governor Nyesom Wike and the PDP.

    This seems to be the general view and atmosphere for both the petitioners and some of the respondents’ counsel, but whether the tribunal will agree with them is a different issue. One of the lawyers of PDP simply put it this way, “the APC has tried, their evidence is overwhelming. We will try our best and leave it to the court. It is not a do-or-die, but honestly, to me, they have proven their case but I am not the tribunal.”

    • Eleba is of the SNP Online News.

     

  • Bayelsa : PDP delegates affirm Dickson’s candidacy

    Bayelsa : PDP delegates affirm Dickson’s candidacy

    Delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bayelsa State chapter, Thursday affirmed the sole candidacy of the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, for the December 5 governorship election.
    Dickson was officially confirmed the PDP candidate at a primary election supervised by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose and the South-South National Vice-Chairman of the Party, Mr. Cairo Oujuoguo.
    Dickson, the sole aspirant, sealed his victory at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex with 447 votes from 452 accredited delegates.
    The exercise was peaceful and devoid of rancour as the delegates and conducted themselves orderly.
    The former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the former Governor of the state,s Chief Diepreye Alameisegha, were among the PDP dignitaries at the event.
    Fayose insisted that it was wrong for President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint his in-law as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
    He urged Dickson not to entertain any fears over the forthcoming election, adding that the governor had all the credentials to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC).
    Speaking as the chairman PDP National Electoral Panel, Fayose said the party was closely monitoring the activities of INEC and was ready to expose its hidden agenda at the appropriate time.
    He said: “I have complained very clearly about the choice of the INEC chairperson. Nobody can give us an INEC chairman that is his daughter or in-law. This is our Country and nobody can run out of Nigeria.

    “Therefore, we are watching INEC and its activities. We will not allow you to play pranks. This is an Ijaw state and so they are going nowhere. This is a PDP controlled state. No hidden agenda will work in Bayelsa.”
    Insisting that the APC was not a threat, he added: “In our place, it is one stone that scatters so many birds. Your (Dickson) stone will scatter their birds. I’ve worked with them before. I know their style and antics. So fear not.

    “If you read the book of Joshua chapter one, it says, fear not. So don’t be afraid but be courageous because their armies will bow to your army.
    “I am conducting this PDP primary in Bayelsa transparently in line with the PDP guidelines. I am not ready to dodge out of this stadium to run away. The truth will stand the test of time and speak for itself.
    Describing Dickson as a great fighter, he said: “You have won the battle already. This is not a party where they will do one primary today and cancel it tomorrow. In this our own, there will be no cancellation. This is an authority in Bayelsa.

  • Bayelsa APC governorship primary ends in deadlock

    Bayelsa APC governorship primary ends in deadlock

    The governorship primary election of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bayelsa State, ended in deadlock on Tuesday.
    The exercise was marred by violence, thuggery, intimidation of some aspirants and meddlesomeness by some state party officials.
    The Chairman of the Electoral Committee and Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, was held hostage and was later smuggled out of the venue by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) and soldiers.
    It was gathered that the governor escaped the angry youths under the pretence that he was going to have his meal.
    Trouble started in the morning before 8am, when thugs, suspected cultists and ex-militants invaded the entrance of Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa, the venue of the exercise.
    The thugs hurled stones at delegates who lined up to be screened for the exercise creating chaos and panic in the area.
    The unruly crowd attacked the delegates and sent them running for their lives. Most of the delegates especially persons said to be loyal to the former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, could not return to the venue.
    The local government chairmen of the party in Sagbama, Ekeremor and Yenagoa, were reportedly attacked and wounded by the thugs.
    Over 1300 policemen led by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) were deployed in the venue to maintain the peace.
    Most of the delegates were shut out of the exercise and were not allowed access to the venue of the primary.
    The state Chairman of the party, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe, and some of his executive members were visibly angry at Alaibe and freely attacked him verbally.
    Alaibe maintained his cool as he uttered no word.
    When the accreditation of the delegates started, most persons who presented themselves for the exercise were said to be fake delegates in possession of cloned voter cards.
    The Master of the Ceremony (MC) announced that some persons with cloned cards had been arrested and handed over to the police.

  • Rivers governorship election marred by violence – INEC 

    Rivers governorship election marred by violence – INEC 

    Mr. Charles Okoye, a witness for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the ongoing trial for the April 11 Rivers State Governorship election, said on Friday that the election was marred by violence.

    Okoye, who was in charge of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) election, campaign and party monitoring group in the state, said this in his testimony to the tribunal in Abuja.

    The witness gave the testimony while being led in evidence by counsel to the petitioners, Mr. Akinlolu Olujimi (SAN).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APC and its candidate, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, had approached the Justice Suleman Ambrosa led three-man panel seeking the nullification of the election of Gov. Nyesom Wike.

    The petitioners are also challenging the conduct of INEC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the election.

    The petitioners are seeking the nullification on the ground that the election was marred by irregularities and fraudulent practices.

    He said that the report gathered by him and other members of his group showed that there was no election in major parts of the state.

    According to Okoye, the election only held in some part of the Eleme Local Government Area, and that it was marred by violence like in other reports gotten from other areas.

    “The election was characterised by violence, shooting, ballot box snatching, intimidation of voters and other forms of impunity in the major part of Rivers.

    “I did a compilation of field report of what was gathered by me and other members of my group who monitored the election,’’ Okoye said.

    NAN reports that there was a serious argument by counsel to INEC, Mr. Onyechi Ipeazu, the 1st respondent on the appearance of a witness from INEC to the tribunal.

    Ipeazu said that he was not informed by INEC that such a witness will be coming to testify at the tribunal Friday, and urged the tribunal to disallow the witness from giving testimonies.

    “As a party to this matter, I am supposed to be aware of the INEC staff who is coming to testify before such person can be allowed, “ he said.

    Ipeazu cited Paragraph 51(1A) of the Electoral Act, several laws and authority to argue his point for the witness from INEC not to give his testimonies.

    Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, (SAN), Counsel to Wike, the 2nd respondent, and Mr Ifedayo Adedipe, (SAN), Counsel to the PDP, the 3rd respondent, also concurred with the submission of the INEC counsel.

    Meanwhile, Olujimi argued that the 2010 amendment of the electoral laws had overruled Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral laws canvassed by the respondents.

    According to Olujimi, Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral laws is now an old fashion of the law.

    Olujimi said that INEC had always hidden under paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral law to commit atrocity by preventing whistle blower from giving their evidence.

    According to him, the Court of Appeal has upheld emphatically in some of its rulings in electoral matters that Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral law cannot stop a supreme witness from giving his evidence.

    He said the amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act had replaced Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral law.

    The tribunal Chairman, thereafter, overruled the respondents, adding that the 2010 amended electoral law had replaced the one canvassed by the respondents.

     

  • Oyo governorship poll: Lawyers fault exhibits tendered by Ladoja

    Oyo governorship poll: Lawyers fault exhibits tendered by Ladoja

    •Accord’s lawyer slumps in court

    Lawyers to defendants in the governorship petition filed by Senator Rashidi Ladoja of Accord party against the election of Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi have faulted the “several inconsistencies” in the evidences tendered by the ex-governor before the tribunal handling the suit.

    Ladoja is challenging the election of Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the tribunal.

    He joined the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ambassador Rufus Akeju, as co-respondents.

    Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) is the lawyer for Ajimobi and Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) represents the APC. Sikiru Sanni represents the INEC and Mr. Richard Ogunwole (SAN) is counsel to Ladoja and Accord.

    The “inconsistencies” were discovered during cross-examination of the star witness, Bimbo Adepoju, at the weekend.

    Lawyers to APC, INEC and Akeju identified discrepancies in the figures entered in the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) form from the INEC and the record of analysis made by the witness.

    A total of 192 documents had been tendered and marked ‘exhibits’ by the tribunal.

    Adepoju had earlier affirmed in court that his exhibits were error-free.

    But the counsels to the respondents referred him to “various errors, unsubstantiated and inconsistent claims and contradictory facts contained in his exhibits”.

    For instance, the number of total valid votes, total votes cast and the number of rejected votes in the chief witness’ analyses were faulted as inconsistent with the figures he recorded in forms EC8A as an expert that analysed INEC materials used during the governorship election.

    Adepoju added that the inconsistencies grew from the figures in the PVCs used for collation analysis in the EC8A.

    The total votes cast with the valid and invalid votes in some records of analysis done by the witness were different from those in the INEC Form EC8A.

    In Iludero Unit of Atiba Local Government for example, 501 votes were recorded in the witness’ analysis. It was 489 in the Form.

    A total of 611 votes were recorded for Ward six in Akinyele Local Government whereas there was no voter register available.

    In Oyo West, total votes cast was 258 and it was 161 in the form.

    In Ibadan North Unit 005, 317 votes were recorded in the witness’ analysis, but 185 appeared in the form. Total rejected votes in the analysis of Oyo West Unit 001 was three, but it was 44 in the INEC form.

    Taking his turn, Akeredolu (SAN) told the tribunal that the analysis done by the witness and the party was inconsistent with the exhibits provided.

    But the witness insisted that some forms such as the incident form, which validates his claim, were not released to him by INEC.

    But tragedy was averted at the weekend as Mr. Biodun AbdulRaheem, the lead counsel to Accord’s candidate in March 28 House of Representatives election in Ibadan North East / Ibadan South East Federal Constituency, Mr. Olugbenga Adewusi, slumped during a tribunal sitting in the Oyo State capital.

    He was, however, revived by a team of lawyers led by Adebayo Mutalubi, the former Commissioner for Justice and counsel to the defendant, Dapo Lam-Adesina.

    Mutalubi was said to have rushed to attend to Abdul-Raheem  after another lawyer, I.O Opeyemi, drew the attention of the tribunal to Abdul-Raheem’s unconscious state.

    He was led out of the court by other lawyers. The plaintiff’s counsel later asked his driver to take him to his doctor.

  • Governorship tribunal: Gombe APC accuses INEC of conniving with PDP

    Governorship tribunal: Gombe APC accuses INEC of conniving with PDP

    Gombe State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state of conniving with the ruling PDP to sabotage its efforts at the tribunal.

    Challenging the re-election of  Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwabo  as governor in the last governorship election, the APC, through its lawyers  demanded that the ballot papers used for the election be recounted.  The request was however not granted as the tribunal set aside the petitioner’s prayers.

    Citing two authorities to buttress his ruling, the tribunal chairman held that no matter how eloquently rendered the written address of the petitioner was, it cannot take the place of evidence.

    Speaking, counsel to the first respondent, Isiyaku Ibrahim (SAN), said: “We had cause to apply to the tribunal to set aside an earlier order of recount which was obtained experte.

    They were the only ones that moved the motion and the tribunal granted them without hearing us. But  when we brought a motion for that order to be  set aside, the tribunal agreed with us that we must be heard before such an order could be made.

    “After that,  they brought an application to say  that they wanted us to be heard so that the tribunal would grant the order for a re-count but we said no. The tribunal cannot give an order on documents that are not before it because the documents are supposed to be tendered before the tribunal can give an order for a re-count.”

    Counsel to the petitioner, Mr Niyi Akintola (SAN) expressed hope that the results they are presently tendering would open up some revelation, believing in the ability of the tribunal to deliver justice in the matter.

    He regretted that after paying over N11 million to INEC for the release of all the documents needed for the verification of claims, the office of commissions Head of Operations claimed it  was not authorised to produce them.

    Speaking to newsmen in Gombe, the party’s secretary, Alhaji Sallau Manu Pindiga, lamented that INEC, which  according to him, should  to be fair to both sides, was crying more than the bereaved.