Tribunal: Ubokutom Nyah, Ors Rubbish INEC Evidence ... As Akpabio, Ekpeyong Tango In Court
By UbongAbasi Ise
In what turned out to be the battle of wits between the lawyers and the witnesses, the national assembly election tribunal sitting in Uyo yesterday in a matter involving Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Chris Ekpeyong was not without loads of thrills and surprises.
In what turned out to be the battle of wits between the lawyers and the witnesses, the national assembly election tribunal sitting in Uyo yesterday in a matter involving Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Chris Ekpeyong was not without loads of thrills and surprises.
During his cross-examination, Arc. Ubokutom Nyah, who served as ward collation agent for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekpenyong (II) Ward during February 23 elections, said document tendered before the tribunal as voters register by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was not the one used at his polling unit on the election day.
Arc. Nyah said he duly cast his vote after he had his name in the register ticked by an INEC ad hoc staff to confirm accreditation, but he was apparently surprised when the space beside his name in the voters register shown to him at the witness box was left blank.
In contradicting INEC's claim which has it that there were no accreditation and voting in all the 12 polling units in Ekpeyong (II) Ward in Essien Udim local government area, Mr. Nyah named key election stakeholders that were present while the votes were collated and announced at the ward level.
He said the local government council chairman of Essien Udim, Mr. Raphael Isogbara, who was elected on platform of the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, including PDP ward collation agent, and supervisory presiding officers were present at the centre where the results brought in from various polling units were collated.
The witness said he was not aware of cancellation of senatorial election result of any polling unit in the entire Ekpeyong (II) on grounds of no accreditation as INEC was claiming that boxes for the national assembly election were not ticked in the 12 voter registers marked Exhibit R56 to R67.
Arc. Ubokutom Nyah, while being reexamined by the petitioner's counsel, S.I. Ameh, SAN, said he was not served by INEC with the reports of the cancellation of results marked at the tribunal as Exhibit R352 and R352 (A).
The witness, after being made to answer questions on INEC cancellation reports, said he was not the maker of such documents.
Mr. Raphael Udoma, who was serving in the election as the ward collation agent for the APC in Ukana West (ll) Ward in Essien Udim, testified that the election was the most peaceful and credible ever held in his Ward despite INEC claims that it was marred by wanton violence which led to lack of accreditation and cancellation of result in Ukana West II.
Udoma rejected the claims that election results of the 18 polling units were nullified in his Ward by the INEC based on reasons linked to lack of accreditation.
He wondered why the vote of Senator Godswill Akpabio who was clearly seen being accredited at his polling by INEC ad hoc staff, was cancelled by INEC.
Presenting before the tribunal the carbonated copy of INEC result sheet for the Ward marked as Exhibit P419, Mr. Raphael Udoma said the document was issued to him by the INEC Ward collation officer after the completion of electoral process, to prove that election took place in his Ward.
Another witness, Mr. Cletus Udoakpan, who was APC Ward collation agent for Ekpeyong (I) during the election, vehemently rejected the reports that claims there was cancellation of election results in all the 15 polling units in his Ward, saying, "far be it."
Meanwhile, the petitioner, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the first respondent, Senator Chris Ekpeyong, met for the first time yesterday at the tribunal since the commencement of the sitting, and the duo were seen embracing each other while exchanging pleasantaries.
©The Sensor Newspaper
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