A'Ibom: Court okays Umana's request for more witnesses

The Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja on Thursday granted the prayer of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the April 11 in the state, Umana Umana, to tender additional witnesses and documents to support the petition challenging the governorship poll in the state. Umana and the APC are challenging the verdict of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which declared Governor Udom Emmanuel, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, as the winner of the election. Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Sadiq Umar, ruled that the application had merit and dismissed the objection of Emmanuel to the APC’s candidate request. The tribunal, which holds its sittings in Abuja, held that the application was for the maintenance and sustenance of the petition pursuant to its earlier order, adding that the petitioners did not violate any provision of the law by the application as against the contentions of the respondents. It also granted the petitioner’s team the allowance to present bundle of INEC documents, which were compiled from the joint inspection that was previously carried out by all parties, by counsel for the petitioners, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN). Emmanuel and the PDP had earlier objected to the request, arguing that the prayer did not form part of the record of the court. Olanipekun had argued that the petitioner needed to submit additional witnesses, tender more result sheets and ballot papers to support the petition based on the leave earlier granted by the tribunal to the INEC to grant access for inspection, scanning and forensic analysis of the election materials. Meanwhile, Umana on Thursday submitted before the tribunal copies of his Permanent Voter’s Card, seven compact discs, containing videos of the election, and a Certified True Copy of a letter by Mrs Augusta Ogakwu, secretary of the INEC. Other documents, tendered by Umana, while testifying before the tribunal included a petition by the APC, dated April 2, 2015; another petition dated March 17, 2015, by A. Okwong chambers to the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission and a petition dated April 4, 2015, to the Inspector-General of Police. The petitioners also sought to play a video clip but the PDP counsel asked that a copy of the video be made available to them to go through it before it would be played at the tribunal. The case has been adjourned to Friday for continuation of trial.