The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State has demystified the claim put forward before the sitting Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its 2023 governorship candidate, with the party confident of victory even as the GEPT reserved its judgement for a later date.
The APC demystified the PDP allegations as contained in its petition challenging the declaration of Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday during the parties adoption of final written addresses.
While adopting their final written addresses, counsels to the Independent the INEC, APC, and Nasarawa State Governor, Isiaka Dikko (SAN), Hassan Liman (SAN) and Messrs Wole Olanikpekun (SAN), all prayed for the tribunal to dismissed the petition by the PDP and its gubernatorial candidate for lacking in merit.
Counsel to the INEC, Dikko (SAN), called on the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.
According to the INEC counsel, the petitioners have failed to prove their allegations of reduction of votes, cancellation of votes of the election of Ashige electoral ward and exclusion of votes in Alwazan electoral ward in Doma Local Government Area, where the petitioners alleged over voting in four polling units.
Dikko (SAN) added that his client, INEC declared Engineer Abdullahi Sule winner who led the petitioners’ with 64, 193 lawful votes, averting that the petitioners’ allegation of leading with 4,130 entirely contradicts the deposition of their witnesses who changed position to now claim they were leading with 841 votes.
“After calling all the witnesses, after all said and done, the petitioners surprisingly changed its position and now said they are going to be leading by 841votes,” he added.
The INEC counsel prayed for the tribunal to dismissed the petition because the petitioners have failed to establish the allegation of exclusion or wrongful deduction of votes.
On his part, Counsel to the second respondent, Olanikpekun (SAN) told the tribunal that their job has been narrowed down and made easy, because certain witnesses tendered by the petitioners have no business appearing before the tribunal.
Relying on the recent verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, Olanikpekun (SAN) said the position of the law made it clear that PW7, PW8, PW11, PW12 and PW13, as well as exhibits attached to them namely IG3, FB36, VB1 to VB207, SP01 to SP310, IG28, SUB305, IG9 to IG14, SUB306, IG3, SUB38 to 43 and LZ, were unlawfully sneaked.
According to the senior learned silk, the the law is very clear the the tribunal has no jurisdiction to have countenance and sneaked these witnesses and exhibits they tendered.
He opined that the petitioner’s star witness, PW22 made conflicting claims, adding that the tribunal cannot compute figures for the petitioners.
Contrary to the claim by the petitioners, Olanikpekun (SAN, argued that the petitioners have dumped BVAS machines and IREV records at the tribunal without showing what was contained in the records.
He said the petition by the PDP and its gubernatorial candidate has suffered a shipwreck, even as he insisted that the petitioners have failed to show where they scored 25 percent of the votes in any local government area.
He therefore urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.
Similarly, Dr. Hassan Liman SAN, counsel to the APC while adopting their final written address, prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition on grounds that it is lacking in merit, describing it as “waste of resources for the good people of Nasarawa State”.
Relying on some documents admitted as exhibits before the tribunal, Dr. Liman said Engineer Abdullahi Sule led the election with 64,193, adding that electoral matters are valued on figures , arguing that the petitioners’ have determined the matter against themselves.
“I submit that in the four polling units where the petitioners alleged over voting, they did not refer to voters registers at all, or BVAS machine demonstration, nor did they even called witnesses in those four polling units where they alleged over voting.
According to Liman (SAN), the said over voting has not been proven and that the contention of the respondent is that the 1780 votes in those polling units be retained as votes declared in the election.
He averred that retaining the 1780 votes would swallow the alleged margin of 841, adding that with this, the petitioners would lose the election by 939 votes.
“The final collation, in my humble, will be 284, 074 for the petitioners and that of the second respondent will be 347, 338 votes.
He therefore urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.
Responding, lead counsel to the petitioners, Kanu Agabi (SAN), sought to tender a fresh document titled “List of additional authorities in support of their final written address, for which the first, second and third respondents vehemently objected to.
After adopting the petitioners written address, Agabi (SAN), urged the tribunal to annul the Nasarawa State governorship election for non compliance with the electoral act and declare the candidate of PDP as the real winner of the election.
Having listened to the arguments of both parties, Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Ezekiel Ajayi reserved judgement on the matter