Akpabio Vs Ekpeyong: Civil Servant Testifying As Party Agent Receives Heat In Dock ... As INEC, PDP Clash Over Obot Akara Result Amidst Drama
By UbongAbasi Ise
The national assembly election
tribunal sitting in Uyo was on Monday reduced to a theatre of drama as Senator
Chris Ekpenyong (1st Respondent) presented his witnesses to defend
his election as the lawmaker representing Akwa Ibom Northwest (Ikot Ekpene)
senatorial district.
In the light of
cross-examination, a witness, Engr. Kufre Augustine, who claimed to be a
businessman and politician, was found to be lecturing at the College of Science
and Technology, Nung Ukim in Ikono local government area.
Augustine appeared before the
tribunal at the instance of Senator Chris Ekpenyong, and was reproved by the petitioner's
counsel, S.I. Ameh, SAN, for lying on oath having presented different
information on his profession before the court.
As gathered from his
cross-examination, the witness’s full name turned out to be Kufre Ausgustine
Osoh, who hails from Abiakpo Nkap in Obot Akara local government area. He attended
Queens of Apostle Seminary Afaha Obong in Abak local government area and
proceeded to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt,
after which he worked as lecturer 1 at College of Science and Technology in
Ikono.
In his testimony, Mr. Kufre Augustine
said he was serving as a collation agent in Obot Akara local government area
for Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, whose party did not field any candidate for the
February 23 national assembly election.
Despite not having a candidate
running on his political party platform for the national assembly seat, coupled
with the fact that ZLP was not printed on the result sheet, Augustine admitted
to have appended his signature on the sheet to endorse the controversial Obot
Akara local government result.
Another witness, Mr. Sylvester
Inyang, who was a collation agent for the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, in
Obot Akara local government area, said there was no cancellation anywhere in
the local government area despite the report of nullification of national
assembly election in Obot Akara by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, on grounds of over-voting.
Inyang, while insisting there was
no cancellation of polls results, having faulted the police document marked as
Exhibit P558 which reported the incident of over-voting in Obot Akara, he was
shown by petitioner's counsel the result sheet of Obot Akara marked as Exhibit
R349 to confirm the cancellation , but the witness said he could not see
anything on the sheet.
When shown Ward 4 result in Obot
Akara marked as Exhibit R341, to confirm the number of the accredited voters as
incorporated into the local government area result (Exhibit R349), the witness
insisted he could not see the figures, a situation that amused the court.
©The Sensor Newspaper
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