File photo: Akwa Ibom APC governorship candidate, Umana Okon Umana (left) in front of the election petition tribunal in Abuja |
The
Akwa Ibom governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the
last election is billed to testify before the election petitions tribunal when
it resumes sitting Thursday. Umana, who gave this indication at the
weekend, added that the prosecution will also be presenting its key witnesses
this week.
He said among those expected to give evidence is the forensic team
which inspected elections materials used for the polls.
Umana
is before the tribunal challenging the declaration of the PDP candidate,
Emmanuel Udom, as winner of the April polls and governor of the state. He said
this week, his legal team will also be moving what he called a riped motion for
extension of time to present additional witnesses.
The
APC guber candidate, in a statement, expressed his readiness to testify. He
maintained that elections did not hold in the state. “Even in my own
polling unit, there was no election.
So,
I and my supporters were denied the opportunity of casting our votes. The same
thing happened in other parts of the state. The election materials were carted
away even before the process commenced,” he said.
He
said the party would also tender INEC register for all polling units in the
state and the Card Reader, “to prove that elections did not hold in the
state”. After the APC concludes its case this week, the PDP and INEC will
then open defence.Umana lamented that efforts were made to destroy evidence in
the case.
“Someone
directed that the booklets of ballot papers used during the sham election be
unbounded and detached into single ballot papers to show that that they were
actually used for voting, which was not the case. Infact, the exercise
commenced with the detachment of booklets used for Etim Ekpo Local Government
Area (LGA) of the state before information leaked.
And
when that happened, supporters of the APC mobilized to the INEC office where
they sighted people running out of the premises upon their arrival. Before a team
of policemen and DSS operatives arrived the premises the culprits had escaped,
reportedly on a tip off by compromised police officers assigned to the
premises.
Our
forensic team was also frustrated during inspection exercise; as most of the
election materials were destroyed. Some people went as far as pouring water on
the materials,” he said. He however added: “No matter what they do, we
have adequate evidence to prove that no election held. Our people were on
ground, so everything that transpired was recorded. I am optimistic that with
what we have, we will win at the tribunal”.
Umana
maintained that he has respect for the rule of law and is ready to pursue his
case to a logical conclusion using the right means.
Culled from Vanguard
newspaper
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