PDP Witness Comfirms Election Results Of Akpabio’s LGA Was Announced At Mike Igini’s Office In Uyo, Not Designated Collation Centre

The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, continued its sitting on Friday, with the first respondent, Senator Chris Ekpenyong, the Peoples’ Democratic Party(PDP) candidate for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District and the declared winner of the election, calling his last witness.

Anny Asikpo, who was led in evidence by Uche Njoku, Counsel to Ekpenyong, confirmed that the results from the Essien Udim Local Government Area, where the petitioner, Senator Godswill Akpabio comes from, was contrary to INEC’s guidelines, which stipulates that all results should be announced at polling units and collation centres, not at the headquarters of INEC in Uyo.

Answering a question under cross examination by the the Petitioners Counsel, Sunday Ameh (SAN), Asikpo said the results were announced after the Returning Officer (RO) for the local government absconded.

She said the results from the local government were not announced untill the third day, after election had been concluded, which was – Feb 25th, 2019.

Counsel to INEC, Ifeoluwa Ojediran:

The result of Obot Akara was not cancelled. Am I correct?

Witness: Definitely, Yes

Counsel to INEC: Would I also be correct to say that no issue was raised with regards to the result of Obot Akara Local government?

Witness: No issue at all

Counsel to INEC: Was there any physical examination of the result of Obot Akara LG

Witness: Yes, My lord

Counsel to INEC: At the Senatorial District Collation Centre, the allegation that was made by the Petitioner is that Essien Udim Collation Officer received a phone call.

Witness: My lord, Essien Udim C.O (Collation Officer) was not there in the hall. So I did not see when he received a phone call.

Counsel to INEC: Was any of the Senatorial District agents given the result of the LG to be presented (i.e form EC08)

Witness: Yes, my Lord

Counsel to INEC: I would, therefore, be correct to say that the result of Essien Udim was not cancelled

Witness: The Election Officer left the Collation Centre without the knowledge of any body.

Counsel: He took permission from Ikot Ekpene EO to use his hall.

Witness: My lord, at that point, I raised an observation and asked him why he came to Ikot Ekpene to tidy up his results instead of Essien Udim. While he was there, we were taking results from other local governments. We expected the CO to bring his results. We waited for about One hour 30mins till about midnight. Thereafter, the EO came into the hall and informed the people that he had gone from one office to the other in the premises looking for the RO (Returning Officer) of  Essien Udim, but he was nowhere to be found.

Counsel to INEC: There is this other allegation that the party agent noticed that there was over voting in the result of Obot Akara LG. Was there any thing like that?

Witness: Nothing like that at all.

Counsel to INEC: I would, therefore, be correct to say that the result of Essien Udim was not cancelled

Witness: The RO left the Collation Centre without the knowledge of any body.

Counsel to PDP, Solomon Umoh (SAN), took over:  Did the police get involved in the collation of results at any level?

Witness: No, My lord. They did not because they did not conduct the election

Counsel to PDP: You were at the Collation Centre? I presume that there, you had the benefit of knowing what transpired in the entire Senatorial District.

Witness: Yes, My lord

Counsel to PDP: Look at Exhibit p557 and p535 simultaneously. What is the scores of PDP and APC in that document?

Witness: PDP scored 118,215, APC: 83,158 votes.

Counsel to PDP: Please look at Exhibit p536, Please tell me what PDP and APC scored in Essien Udim

Witness: PDP scored 3,422 while APC scored 6,241

Counsel to PDP: Was election peaceful in Essien Udim based on Senator Godswill Akpabio reliance on the police’s report?

Witness: Election was never ever peaceful in Essien Udim

Counsel to PDP: Because they did not conduct the election, it was not possible for the police to have all the EC8As & EC8Bs

Witness: They did not conduct any election

Counsel to PDP: Look at Exhibit p557, the police report. What is the result given to APC and PDP by the police

Witness: (Senate Election); APC scored 61, 329,  PDP scored 9,050

Counsel to petitioner, Sunday Ameh (SAN) took over: Form p535 that you said result was not signed at Ikot Ekpene that night you claimed RO disappeared

Witness: It was not possible to sign that night because the result was not announced that night because Essien Udim result was not recorded that night (the senatorial district results) due to the absence of the CO for Essien Udim. It was signed on Monday at INEC office Uyo (Headquarters)

Counsel to petitioner: You will agree with me that it is the responsibility of the police not to conduct election but to provide security for the election

Witness: Yes, my lord.

Counsel to petitioner:  It is the duty of the police to provide security for all citizens.

Witness: Yes, my lord

Counsel to petitioner: You will also agree with me that copies of election results are usually given in the scheme of affairs of INEC, being Senatorial Collation Agent, the procedure is that the result is given to party officials and the police

Witness: Yes, My lord. I agree that it is a normal thing after election results have been announced, copies of the results are given to party agents and security agencies

Counsel to petitioner: I will be correct to say that the results of units are usually in form EC8A and are transferred to EC8B-EC8C

Witness: That is the procedure. I agree that the procedure specified by INEC is to enter results in INEC form EC8A then transfer to INEC form EC8B and EC8C

Counsel to petitioner: Can you look at Exhibit p536. What is the total no of accredited voters in Essien Udim?

Witness: 9,964

Counsel to petitioner: Look at Exhibit R253A (Smart Card)  Read the total no of the voters on Exhibit R253A

Witness: 19,455

Counsel: Do you agree with me that accredited  voters figure on Exhibit p536 as captured are less than the figures on Exhibit R253?

Witness: I agree that the figure entered in Exhibit p536 is far less than those on R253

Counsel: Read out to the hearing of everybody Exhibit p55 (Police Report)

Witness: (Reads the police report)

Counsel: Does what you have read not corroborate what you presented?

Witness: The Essien Udim RO absconded. This letter (police report) came before the result was actually declared. Result for Essien Udim was not declared or even known as at 24/2/19- a day after the election. It was officially known and declared on Monday 25th Feb. in Uyo

Counsel to petitioner: Do you agree that Exhibit p547 is result of Obot Akara and R341 is the result of ward 4 of Obot Akara

Witness: Yes, I agree

Counsel to peitioner: Look at p547. What is the result entered in the column of Total no of accredited voters cancelled?

Witness: The figure is 1140

Counsel: Is it the same figure with the total number of accredited voters in R341

Witness: Yes, My lord. It is 1140

Sitting has been adjourned to July 15th.