From Esther Akaa, Lafia
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2023 general election in Nasarawa State, Dr David Ombugadu, on Tuesday called four additional witnesses to testify at the Elections Petitions Tribunal against the declaration of Governor Abdullahi Sule as winner of the polls.
At the resumed hearing in Lafia, the witnesses were led to testify at the tribunal by the lead counsel to the petitioner , PDP council is Samuel Okutepa (SAN).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) produced additional documents through its representative in pursuant to the subpoena issued by the tribunal and served on INEC upon the application of the petitioners.
The documents produced were certified true copies of Polling Units results (forms EC8As) and voters register of identified polling units, which were won by the Petitioners. The documents were all admitted in evidence and accordingly marked as exhibits.
The petitioner called its Polling Unit agent for Alwazan Polling Unit Code 009 as witness number 9. The witness testified that elections were held in his unit where PDP won and results were uploaded on INEC’s result viewing portal but that they were not computed into the corresponding form EC8B for the Sabon Gari Ward of Doma Local Government Area.
The petitioner’s ward collation agent was also called as a witness in support of the case and he testified as the Petitioners’ witness number 10. In his testimony, he narrated to the tribunal that election results in the identified Polling Unit, Alwazan Mada Polling Unit Code 009 under his ward were not entered in the Form EC8B for the ward as mandated by law.
The petitioner also called its Ashige Ward collation agent as witness number 11, who in his testimony narrated to the tribunal that elections were successfully held in 35 polling units in Ashige Ward where the petitioner won.
The agent further testified that the entire result of the Ashige Ward was cancelled at the Lafia LGA Collation Centre and was not entered into the corresponding Form EC8C as required by law and excluded in the Form EC8D in the total computation of votes for the declaration of result.
The Voice reports that all the witnesses identified the various electoral forms and materials already tendered in evidence which they referred to in their various witness depositions.
After listening to the four witnesses, the
chairman of the three-man Governorship Election Petition Panel, Ezekiel Ajayi, adjourned the Tribunal sitting to Wednesday 26th July, 2023 for the continuation of the hearing.
