Hehhe....Some members of the Peoples Democratic
Party who served as the party’s agents during the April 11, 2015
governorship election in Akwa Ibom State admitted signing multiple
result sheets while testifying before the state Governorship Election
Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday.
One of the agents, Nicholas Andy, who
served as the PDP agent in Ibiono-Ibom Local Government Area, admitted
that no agent of any political party, including that of the PDP signed
the result sheets in three of the 11 wards of the local government.
The
agents were testifying for Governor Udom Emmanuel of the PDP whose
election as governor is being challenged before the tribunal by the All
Progressives Congress and its candidate in the poll, Mr. Umana Umana.
Andy, while testifying on Monday denied
the petitioners’ allegation that election only took place in two out of
the 161 polling units in Ibiono-Ibom Local Government Area.
He admitted serving as the PDP agent for the local government and for Ikot Ikpo Ward 6 during the election.
When the petitioners’ lawyer, Mr. Dayo
Akinlaja (SAN), asked him what the distance between the local government
and ward collation agents was, he said he could not tell the distance
in kilometres “but it is not far.”
He said the PDP had agents in all the wards in the local government.
But when the petitioners’ lawyer
confronted him with the list of the agents for the wards in the local
government, he admitted them as being the list of approved agents but
his name was not on the list.
He also confirmed, when confronted with
the result sheets, that no political agent including that of the PDP
signed the result sheets of three out of the 11 wards in the local
government.
Also, one of the PDP’s agents, Emmanuel
Mbong, admitted signing the result sheet on behalf of the PDP at Eket
Urban Ward 1 and Eket Urban Ward 3 as well for Eket Local Government
Area.
Mbong said though he was the agent
approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the PDP in
Eket Local Government Area and Eket Urban Ward 1, he had to sign for
the PDP in Eket Urban Ward 3, because the agent approved for that ward
needed to rush his wife to the hospital.
“The agent for Ward 3, Chief Ekpe Ubong
Udoh, called me on the phone when I was at the local government
collation centre that he was indisposed because his wife was stooling
and vomiting, so he had to rush her to the hospital,” Mbong said.
Also testifying, Obong Titus, who said
the collation of results took place in all the polling units and wards
of Etinan Local Government, confirmed that the PDP had agents in all the
11 wards in the local government.
But he confirmed that the result sheets
of wards 1, 5 and 8 of Etinan LGA marked as Exhibit DDD 1, 5 and 8 were
signed by, Mr. Ibanga Udofia, when the petitioners’ counsel, Mr. Dayo
Akinlaja (SAN) confronted him with documents.
Governor Emmanuel, represented by Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), has so far called 19 witnesses.
The proceedings continue Tuesday.
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