BY OSAZE JESUOROBO
DAY 4 AT EDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION TRIBUNAL SITTING. SUMMARY.
The 2nd Respondent, Godwin Obaseki continued his defence yesterday, Monday 27 February, 2017. At yesterday's sitting, the word simultaneously crept up again in the testimonies of the 2nd Respondents witnesses. Last week, when the Petitioners counsel through the cross examination of 2RW06 proved at the tribunal that there was no word like "Simultaneously" in the Supplement to the 2015 Manual for Election Officers, the Respondents counsel changed from simultaneously to continuous.
However, the word simultaneously, like the cat with nine lives, refused to die as it crept up again at yesterday's sitting. Under cross examination by INEC Counsel, virtually all witnesses yesterday agreed that the accreditation and voting were done through continuous process. However, under cross examination by the Petitioners Counsel, they said accreditation and voting were done simultaneously.
2RW27, Ikpoba Okha Ward 10, Unit 15. Under cross examination by INEC Counsel said he did not vote on election day. He also said he did not know PW26, the collation agent for PDP in ward 10. Under cross examination by counsel to the petitioners, he said he registered in ward 10, unit 2. He also said that accreditation and voting were done simultaneously. When told that if accreditation was done before voting, it is no more simultaneous, he said it is. When his attention was drawn to the fact that PW26 had given his testimony many days before he went to make his written on February 22, he said it was not true.
2RW28, Juliet Oruh, (Subpoenaed), Ikpoba Okha. While being cross examined by respondents counsel, she said she knows PW26. But when the Petitioners counsel drew her attention to her deposition where she said she did not know PW26, she said she stood by her deposition. She said she saw the deposition of PW26 after she made her own. When told to confirm that the number of accreditation in the voters register was 201, she said she counted 221.
2RW29, Napia Victor, Ikpoba Okha. He admitted that he made his deposition after he had seen that of PW 28.When asked if it was the same PW28 he said he did not know in his deposition that he said did not visit his unit, he said yes. He agreed that if accreditation was held before voting, then the process couldn't have been simultaneous.
2RW31, Okukoni Pius, Ward 1, Unit 7, Ikpoba Okha. Confirmed that all the tickings in the register are to the left. He said he did not know what the boxes to the bottom right of the photographs were meant for. According to him, simultaneous means when you are accredited, you vote.
2RW32, Felix Enoha, Ward 4, Unit 1, Uhunmwonde. He confirmed that there were boxes to the right and left of the photographs in the voters register but said he did not know what they were meant for as he was not an INEC staff. Agreed that thumb printing in between two boxes or outside the boxes in the ballot paper makes the vote void. He said he did not know whether the boxes in the ballot papers were for decorations or not.
2RW33, Ederaro Osahon, Ward 4, Unit 2, Uhunmwonde. Said he was a job seeker. He said accreditation and voting were done simultaneously. When asked if he was aware that the summary box of columns 1-8 was to ensure that every ballot paper issued was accounted for, he said he did not know. When told to calculate the number of used and unused ballot papers, he said he was not good at calculation. When asked to confirm that the accredited voters entered in EC8A result sheets are derived from the counting of the ticked boxes on the left of the voters register, he said the question should be directed to INEC agents.
2RW34, Edosa Iyayi, Ward 6, Unit 4, Uhunmwonde. Confirmed that there were no single agents signature in the EC8A of his unit. When asked if he still stood by paragraph 7 of his deposition that he signed the EC8A of his unit, he said yes. He sprocesssaw the petitioners deposition about the 12th of November and is also aware of his complaint against his unit.
2RW35, Airhienbuwa Iziengbe, Ward 6, Unit 5, Uhunmwonde. He said he was trained as an agent by his party not INEC. He said the 2016 Manual for Election Officials was not brought to his attention during the training. When asked if he knows what the manual days about accreditation and voting, he said he knows.
2RW36, Hamilton Uwagboe Oriakhi, Ward 6, Unit 5, Uhunmwonde. Ward collation agent. Said he was not present in his unit from beginning to the end though earlier, under cross examination by the respondents counsel, he said he was present all through. When asked to confirm the EC8A and voters registers used in his ward, he spent almost thirty minutes going through them. He was virtually begged by the counsel to the 2nd respondent to give an answer as he insisted that he had to vet the registers page by page believing that he was wasting the time of the petitioners counsel as he has been tutored.
2RW37, Chris Ede, Ward 1, Uhunmwonde. Said accreditation and voting were done simultaneously though he had earlier under respondents counsel cross examination agreed that the process was continuous. He said he was a staff in the planning division of Essn West Local Government, Ekpoma making him a civil servant cum partisan politician. When asked to calculate the used and unused ballot papers in his unit EC8A reconcile them with the total issued, he said he could not calculate because he is not a mathematician.
2RW38, Benson Osawe, Uhunmwonde. Earlier said accreditation and voting were by continuous process but later said they were done simultaneously. Said he was not conversant with INEC manual. When told to count loudly the number of voters accredited in the register to confirm that it was 243, he refused but after flipping through some pages, ha announced 440 in line with what was in EC8A.
2RW40, Idahosa Efosa, Ward 4, Uhunmwonde. Earlier said accreditation and voting were continuous but later said they were simultaneous. Asked to confirm that over voting can only be ascertained by comparing the tickings to the left of the voters register with the entry on EC8A, he said that can only be confirmed by those in charge of EC8A and the registers not himself.
