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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Former Minister of State for Education, Kenneth Gbagi, has tendered a total of 4,978 forms of EC8 series before the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, in his attempt to prove that the conduct of the March 18, 2023 election did not substantially comply with the relevant laws.
Gbagi who is the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) tendered the documents which were provisionally admitted in evidence, through his counsel, Magaji Mato Ibrahim (SAN) at the resumed hearing of his petition during the weekend.
The three-member tribunal headed by Justice C.H. Ahuchaogu, admitted the documents and marked them as exhibits despite opposition from the respective counsels to the 1st to 13th respondents who reserved their grounds of objection to final written addresses.
The forms include 4,634 forms of EC8A across 20 out of the 25 councils; 322 forms of EC8B in the same number of councils; 20 forms of EC8C; and one form each of EC8D and EC8E.
Other documents which were also admitted include two BVAS reports with accompanying receipts and certificates of compliance as well as one flash drive accompanied by the certificate of compliance.
In the petition, Gbagi who came fifth in the election with less 5,000 votes, is seeking to disqualify other candidates, on grounds of alleged ineligibility, even as he alleged that the election was fraught with irregularities.
Testifying in his own petition, Gbagi who is the star witness, told the tribunal that he won the election, noting that the scores as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were mere allocation of votes.
He contended that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) did not score majority of lawful votes cast to have be so declared and returned as winner by INEC
Under grueling cross examination which lasted over 90 minutes, Gbagi, a lawyer by profession, maintained his grounds that he left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) months earlier before the May 25, 2022 governorship primaries of the ruling party in the state.
On the issue of eligibility, the witness said he was not aware that most of allegations of forgery he raised against the respondents had been resolved by the Supreme Court.
After his testimony, the tribunal adjourned to July 19 for the respondents to open their case.
While INEC is the first respondent, candidates of the PDP, APC, Labour Party, APGA, are the 2nd to 13th respondents in the petition.
