The Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal resumed sitting yesterday with the 2nd Respondent, Godwin Obaseki opening his defence. In all, 12 witnesses testified for the 2nd Respondent at yesterday's sitting.
Under cross examination by the various counsel to the respondents, all the witness testified that the 2016 governorship election was free and fair. All of them but one also testified that they never saw PDP unit agents or collation agents in their units.
However, things began to fall apart for then when Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN, the Petitioners lead counsel who conducted the cross examination in the morning session took the witnesses to the carpet.
2RW1, JIMOH OSAGIEDE JUSTICE, confirmed from the register of his unit shown to him that while his name was ticked only to the left, five others were ticked to the left and to the right. When asked what that meant, he said he did not know as he was not an INEC staff.
2RW2, OROBOR AUGUSTINE, when asked to identify his name in the voters register for the unit in which he claimed to have been an agent admitted that his name was not in the register and as such, he did not vote. He told the tribunal when shown the EC8A result sheet for the unit that the accredited voters in it were 222. He was then asked to count the number of accredited voters in the register and he came up with a figure of 199.
2RW3, FAROUK ISHOLA, confirmed that there were tickings to the right of the register for his unit and when asked if those tickings to the right meant voting, he said yes.
2RW4, EVBUOMWAN JACKSON, in his testimony admitted that he was not trained by INEC as a presiding officer or an assistant presiding officer. He confirmed that there were tickings to the left and right in the voters register. He also admitted that he did not in any section of his witness deposition state the votes for both APC and PDP.
2RW5, LOVELY IDEHEN, confirmed that the number of ballot papers issued to the unit as recorded in the EC8A result sheet was 905. When told to calculate the used (326) and unused (585) ballot papers as recorded in the EC8A, he came up with a figure of 911 which was more than the 905 ballot papers issued to the unit.
2RW6, EFE EDOSA, confirmed that there were no tickings to the left of the voters register for his unit. When shown page 36, Step 3, of the Manual for Election Officials 2016, he confirmed that ticking to the left as contained in the manual meant accreditation. He also confirmed that as recorded on page 39, Step 2.3 of the manual, ticking to the right meant voting. On the controversial Suppliment to the 2015 Guideline for the Conduct of the Election, he confirmed that the word "Simultaneously" was not in the document contrary to the impression created by the respondents counsel.
The afternoon session was led by Emmanuel C. Ukala, SAN, for the Petitioners.
2RW7, ABUKHARE S. EDDIE, confirmed that no name including his was ticked to the left of the voters register in his unit. He also agreed that the number of accredited voters in form EC8A ought to be generated from the voters register.
2RW8, VALENTINE ASUEN, APC State Youth Leader agreed that ticking to the left and right of the voters register represent accreditation and voting respectively. This contradicted the position of the respondents counsel that ticking did not have to be to the left for accreditation. He confirmed that the register before him was duly certified by INEC. He also confirmed from his unit EC8A that the total ballot papers issued to the unit were 977 while both used (199) and unused (529) totalled 728, a difference of 249.
2RW9, OSAYAMWEN PROSPER, in his testimony said he never saw the PDP agent in his unit but admitted that he never mentioned it in his witness disposition. He agreed that the figure for accreditation in the EC8A should be generated from the voters register.
2RW10, ALONGE MATTHEW, in his testimony agreed with INEC counsel that accreditation did not have to be to the left. When asked by the INEC counsel if the presiding officer made a mistake by ticking twice instead of once in the register, he said yes. Under cross examination by the Petitioners counsel, he denied that his name was ticked to the left and to the right, which made the counsel to request that the document be shown to the tribunal members. He agreed that he was not trained by INEC and so was not in a position to determine whether the INEC staff made a mistake or not by ticking both to the left and right, contrary to his earlier answer to INEC's counsel on the same question when he said they made a mistake.
2RW11, He said he did not know if the National Youth Corpers used by INEC for the election were permanent staff of INEC. He said he was not aware that INEC published any manual for 2016 elections. He agreed that accreditation was by ticking on the register. He confirmed that there were tickings on both sides of the register for his unit. He also agreed that his own name was not ticked on either side on the register even though he voted.
2RW12, OSARUMWENSE UGIAGBE, Ward 06, Unit 24, Oredo Local Government Area. He confirmed that there were tickings to the left and right of the register used in his unit. Initially, he denied knowledge of the implications of ticking to the left and right but later agreed that ticking to the left is for acreditation while ticking to the right is for voting. When referred to page 47, no 724 of the voters register for his unit and told to confirm that the picture there was his, he denied been the one. However, a close look at the said no 724 of register shows the name to be Osarumwense Ugiagbe with VIN NO 90F5B05579466929998. For reasons best known to him, he denied his name and his photograph in the voters register.
