Engineer Sule closes defence in grand style, as more witnesses confirm widespread non-collation of valid APC votes

Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has closed his defence in the ongoing petition instituted against his victory at the March 18th gubernatorial election by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its gubernatorial candidate, David Ombugadu.

At the continuation of proceedings at the tribunal on Saturday, Engineer Sule, through his counsel, Dr. Mubarak Adekilekun, after presenting seven additional witnesses who testified on oath, to widespread non-collation of valid All Progressives Congress (APC) votes during the governorship election, applied to close his defence.

The witnesses who came from Nasarawa, Kokona, Wamba and Toto Local Government Areas, confirmed that both Engineer Sule and the APC, were shortchanged with their votes improperly collated at various ward and local government collation centres.

Adamu Ibrahim Otto, who hails from Nasarawa Local Government Area, confirmed before the tribunal that election held peacefully in his Odu/Kadu electoral ward, RW46 and that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) authenticated voters using the BVAS machine. Otto also confirmed that after casting his vote at his Apaku Polling Unit with Code 018, the Presiding Officer uploaded the scanned copy of the polling unit results on the IREV.

He said his only problem was that the vote of his political party, the APC was reduced and the vote of PDP was increased at the point of entering the results on Form EC8B.

The witness confirmed that, the APC was shortchanged in three polling units, Apaku with Polling Unit Code 018, RW26, Andrew Wayo with Polling Unit Code 010, RW 27 and Odu/Kadu with Polling Unit Code 005, RW28, all in Kana/Onda/Apawu ward registration area of Nasarawa Local Government Area.

According to Otto, APC scored 101 votes, PDP 14 at the Apaku polling unit however results at the Kana/Onda/Apawu ward collation centre showed that APC got 72 votes while PDP has 44.

Similarly, at RW27, APC scored 193, with PDP having 32 but at the ward collation crntre, the result showed APC scored 115, while PDP has 32. Also, at RW28, APC scored 66, while PDP got 42 but results from the ward collation centre showed APC scored 32 while PDP got 76.

While cross examining the witness, lead counsel for the petitioners, Jibrin Samuel Okutekpa, sought to tender as evidence, 14 Certified True Copies (CTCs) of Form EC8As as downloaded on IREV, including the two polling units testified by Adamu Ibrahim Otto, receipts of payments, certificate of compliance for the CTCs, all done by INEC officials, as well as one Form EG40(2).

However, counsels to the first, second and third respondents objected to the admissibility of the documents, with Mathew Burkah, counsel for the first respondent, rejecting the documents, emphasizing that they are not downloaded from the IREV.

After listening to both counsels, Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Ezekiel Oyeyemi Ajayi, however granted the prayers of the petitioners and marked the documents as evidence.

All the remaining witnesses namely Usman Sani, resident of Kotoko Polling Unit in Shegye Ward, Rabiu Musa, from Katakpa, Haruna Muhammad, from Kenyehu, Yohanna Faji from Toto, all in Toto LGA, while testifying on oath, exposed how the election was manipulated at the ward level in favour of the PDP.

Usman Sani who said he served as a polling unit agent of the APC during the March 18th governorship election, said APC scored 736 while at the ward collation centre no score was entered for APC and INEC did not fill form EC40G in that regard, adding that no reason was given for the cancellation of the APC’s score on form EC8B.

He confirmed that the number of registered voters are 753 while those accredited was 740.

At this juncture, lead counsel for the petitioners, Jibrin Samuel Okutepa sought to tender CTC of Form EC8A for Kotoko Polling Unit, 004 , an application that was objected by all the respondents’ counsel, with Mathew Burkah for APC confirming that the said document contained in it fresh write, no signature and name of the INEC presiding officer.

Rabiu Musa confirmed that APC scored 71 and PDP got 31 votes in Sere Polling Unit of Katakpa One Ward but the score entered for APC was 41 instead of 74 and that of PDP was increased to 61.

Haruna Muhammad, from Kenyehu, Toto LGA said his party, the APC complained about the Fofuru Polling Unit, 003 result and the Ward result for Kenyehu, confirming to the tribunal that the INEC Presiding Officer used BVAS machine to authenticate voters and uploaded results to iReV.

Haruna said APC scored 207 while PDP got zero in Fofuru Polling Unit, 003 but results for the ward collation centre showed APC’s score was entered as 2 while PDP’s vote was recorded zero.

While Yohanna Faji from Toto, said APC scored Apasa Primary School Polling Unit, 011 64 but at the Ward result it was recorded 44 and PDP got 102 while at Ungwan Prince Open Space Polling, APC got 146 and PDP scored 35 but at Gadagba Ward, 145 was recorded for APC, with PDP’s vote increased to 36.

At this point however, Counsel to the petitioners J. J. Usman sought to tender a duplicate copy of Gadagba Ward result, an application that all the respondents’ counsel objected to while Chairman of the Tribunal Justice Ezekiel Ajayi granted the prayer and marked the document as exhibit.

Counsel for the second respondent, Dr. Mubarak Adekilekun then applied to close their defense, following which the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ezekiel Ajayi adjourned hearing till Wednesday next week for the APC to open its defense.