Tina Amanda
As hearing on the petition filed by the Action Democratic Party ADP in Rivers State and its Governorship candidate, Victor Fingesi, seeking to cancel the victory of Governor Nyesom Wike in the 2019 governorship election, continued at the Election Petition Tribunal in Portharcourt.
Dolapo Tella-Attoni, Counsel to Action Democratic Party, applied for a bench warrant on Festus Okoye, the Head of INEC Information Monitoring team for refusal to produce documents before the tribunal.
Counsel Dolapo Tella-Attoni told the tribunal that the electoral umpire is denying the party the right to access the document.
The tribunal led by Justice K.A Ojiako urged the ADP counsel to liaise with INEC’s counsel, Garba Tetengi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on the matter.
Witnessing before the tribunal, VALENTINE TAMMY, testified that he worked as party collation agent in Okrika local government area, and was posted to Ward 6, which has 27 polling units.
TAMMY told the tribunal that there was a hijack of electoral materials in the various polling units in ward 6 by thugs led by PDP Members.
He however told the tribunal that his party sent him with an appointment letter to monitor the collation of the votes in Okrika ward six which was at Ogbogbo community.
The witness told the tribunal that he never visited any of the units as party agent because of the level of violence but only received distress information from his party agents at the polling units over hijack of electoral materials.
Counsel to INEC said TAMMY’S name was never in their list of party’s collation agents in Okirika Ward six for the 2019 general elections as he claimed and asked the court not to recognise any submission from him which was opposed by counsel to ADP.
Also testifying, JOCOB FRIDAY, of Otoka town, ward 4 Andoni Local Government Area was refused to witness at the tribunal after the counsel to Governor Wike, EMMANUEL OKALA, opposed the request of the ADP lawyer for the witness to adopt his written statement because of health issues.
On his part, CLEOPAS EBIRIE who claimed to be the ADP agent at Andoni ward 7, told the tribunal that the governorship election was marred by violence in his area but could not give reason why his name was not on the INEC list for party agents in the area as argued by counsel to PDP and was asked to tender his signature in the court.
The ADP party agent in Afam in Oyigbo Local government CHRISTIAN CHIDIREM ONUKA during his cross-examination told the tribunal that there was no election in the entire local government because PDP members hijacked electoral materials.
