From Daniel Abel Lafia
AS the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Lafia resumed defense hearing in petition filed by the opposition PDP, conflicting testimonies, attack on INEC over results was the order of the day.
Overtly the testimonies of the witnesses in evidence gave support to the Petitioners’ case which is largely that the scores of the Parties in the polling units results in forms EC8As in Gayam and Chiroma wards were incorrectly entered into the respective EC8Bs.
Sule’s 2nd respondent’s 3rd Witness designated as RW3, Abdullahi Danlami Hashimu, said under cross examination by Counsel to INEC, that there were incorrect entries from the polling units results Forms EC8A into Form EC8B
When confronted by the Petitioners’ lead Counsel, Samuel J. Okutekpa SAN, the witness confessed that all he said relating to various Polling Units in support of APC and Abdullahi Sule were things he was told as he did not witness any of the issues.
Under cross examination, the witness also revealed that the appropriate forms EC40GPU were not filled to substantiate the allegations made by Abdullahi Sule in respect of identified Polling Units.
Virtually all the defense witnesses alleged that the PDP results were inflated while the APC reduced. However, this was not contained in their witness statements, and they all admitted that it was not contained.
All the witnesses also confirmed that the elections were free and fair without any iota of violence, particularly in Awe local government, where some polling units were canceled over an alleged violence.
One of the witnesses told the tribunal that all the results of the ward were collated and given to him but claimed they were all missing and could not be found.