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Rivers Gov’ship Election Tribunal: INEC’s witnesses deny originating INEC’s documents  

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

The witnesses presented by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Asari Toru and Opobo/Nkoro local government areas, Messrs Gambo James and Samuel Udeze, respectively have denied being the makers of the INEC’ s documents form EC8A, which bears the collated results of the LGAs.

This was coming on the backdrop of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, Counsel’s stance that the witnesses were not competent witnesses for the INEC’s documents as the documents did not originate from them.

The witnesses disclosed this during cross- examination by the ADP counsel, Mr. Dalopo Tella Attoni, who wanted to know whether they could stand as authentic witnesses to the documents.

However, the witnesses admitted having seen the documents as that of their local government area results but denied Collating the figures.

On the INEC’s press release, which stated that 17 LGAs results were collated but did not indicate the affected LGAs, the lawyer of ADP asked the witness whether the press statement did not amount to stating that election did not hold.

Mr. Samuel Udeze said that he could not tell since he was not the Spokesman of INEC.

Speaking to newsmen after the Tribunal’s sitting, the ADP counsel said that it was wrong for INEC to present as witnesses, persons who did not originate the documents tendered to the Tribunal.

“You saw the pattern of my questions put to the witnesses. And from their evidence, did any of them state that they were the makers of the documents that were tendered? None of them stated that they were the makers of the documents tendered so far. What have they tendered? Form EC8C, that is the local government collated results, which is supposed to be planted on Form EC8A & B. Now, even those who came to tender form EC8C, the local government collated results did not state that they made or did collate it themselves. Now, we are challenging all the electoral documents used by INEC and when there is such a challenge, the law expects you to call the maker or makers of those documents”, he said.

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