More witnesses from the Nigerian Army who testified on Thursday at the Rivers State Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja insisted that the April 11 gubernatorial poll did not hold in the state as claimed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Nyesom Wike.
Compelled by subpoena, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) who sent three other army officers to testify at the Justice Suleman Ambrosa-led tribunal, maintained that the election did not hold in virtually polling centres assigned to them to provide security.
Corroborating Captain Garba Sani’s testimony on Wednesday, the three army officers who led different deployments on the order of the Nigerian Army said that political hoodlums and thugs carted away the election materials after the would-be voters had allegedly been scared away with gun shots.
The three army officers who covered different local governments for the army are Captain Abubakar Mohammed, Captain Fred Bala and Captain Isa Almakura.
Almakura who covered Ikwerre Local Government Area along with 30 other soldiers claimed that the entire council was tensed up right from April 10 when his team arrived the area to provide security for voters.
He told the tribunal that sporadic gun shooting took place in major towns of the council, hence the voters got scared and stayed away from voting.
The army officer said at a time, his team got confused on the bombardment of phone calls from the adhoc staff of INEC who were shouting for help and rescue from the thugs that invaded their polling units.
“On arrival at polling units in Osuala, Onuerelu, Omerelu, Alu the INEC adhoc staff mainly corps members were found mercilessly beaten by the thugs,” he said.
Almakura testified that the INEC staff informed them (soldiers) that thugs had invaded them, hijacked and made away with the election materials.
The army officer told the tribunal that they met canopies, tables and chairs set for election destroyed by the thugs who allegedly ran into the bush with the election materials.
He also confirmed that the rescued INEC workers were handed over to mobile policemen from Unit 56, who then moved the helpless workers to the local government headquarters for safety.
On why he did not pursue the thugs in the bush, the witness said “I am a captain in the Nigerian Army and not a lion that will pursue in the bush.”
He said he was at the local government collation centre till 9p.m. on the election day with his team and left when the reality dawned on them that there was nothing to collate by the INEC men.
The evidence of Captain Al-Makura was corroborated by the two other officers who covered different local governments for the army.
Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja has fixed today to enable the PDP and Governor Emmanuel Udom to call more witnesses before closing their case.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Umana Okon Umana, had filed the petition challenging the victory of Governor Udom during the April 11 governorship election on the grounds of violence and electoral malpractices.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Sadiq Umar first gave a ruling in the application by the PDP to bring in additional witnesses.
Justice Umar in a short ruling, held that the respondents did not furnished the tribunal with necessary documents to that effect.
It further mentioned that “the law only provides for such applications to be taking outside pre-hearing only in exceptional cases”.
However, INEC official, Mr. Obinna Ayogu, who was also present in court following a subpeona issued on him by the tribunal to produce the incident forms used during the April 11 election could not give his full evidence having brought only 30 out of 31.
Ayogu however pleaded with the tribunal to produce the last form in the next sitting in which counsel for the PDP, Tayo Oyedipo sought ed for adjournment till Friday which was granted. And application was not opposed by the petitioner.
This Day
No comments:
Post a Comment