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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and member representing Bende federal constituency, Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu will on Saturday, appear before the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal 4, sitting in Umuahia.
Candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly election, Chief Frank Chinasa had dragged Hon Kalu to the Tribunal, presided by Justice Samson Paul Gang, seeking it to nullify the Deputy Speaker’s election and declare him winner.
The Deputy Reps Speaker on appearing before the Tribunal, was expected to mount the witness box for his testimonies and for cross-examination.
The Tribunal, during yesterday’s sitting, admitted as exhibits, nine different documents alleging there were discrepancies in the credentials of the
The documents alleging the discrepancies in the documents of Hon Kalu were tendered by the lawyers of the Labour Party candidate in the election, Chief Frank Chinasa, who also testified as a star witness before the tribunal presided by Justice Samson Paul Gang.
Some of the contentious documents deposed to by the LP candidate’s lead Counsel, Yunus Ustaz Usman, SAN, included Hon Kalu’s birth certificate; his West African Examination Council (WAEC) Certificate; First Degree Certificate issued by the University of Calabar; National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate; among others.
The LP candidate’s lawyer argued that while some of the certified true copies of the documents deposed to before the tribunal bore Osisiogu Benjamin Okezie , others bore Kalu Benjamin Okezie, and Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu, respectively.
After his submissions, the tribunal admitted all nine documents and marked them as exhibits.
Counsel to Kalu, Kelvin Nwufo, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents as exhibits but said he would give reasons for his objections at the submission of his final written address.
Equally, Counsel to the 2nd Respondent, the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Vigilus Nwankwo; and his Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), counterpart, Ogochukwu Onyekwulije, objected to the admissibility of the documents, promising also to adduce their reasons for objection at the submission of their final written addresses.
The tribunal also admitted as exhibits the result of the election which the Petitioners alleged was manipulated by the 3rd Respondent in favour of the 1st and 2nd Respondents.
According to the 1st Petitioner, INEC awarded him 6,898 votes, and 10,020 votes to the 1st Respondent.
The 1st Petitioner also tendered a copy of his protest letter to INEC alleging manipulation of the election result, and it was admitted as exhibit.
When during cross-examination, the 1st Petitioner was asked if he was aware the 1st Respondent did harmonisation of names and a newspaper publication indicating his change of name.
The LP candidate responding, denied knowledge of any harmonisation of names by the 1st Respondent.
Asked if he was also aware of a High Court judgement confirming the harmonisation of names by the APC candidate, the 1st Petitioner answered in the negative.
Meanwhile, the tribunal admitted in evidence, the deposition by the Action Alliance (AA), candidate, Mr. Igbokwe, that his party’s name and logo were excluded from the ballot box.
A certified true copy of a protest letter by AA to INEC where the party complained about the said exclusion was tendered in evidence by the National Secretary of AA, Ambassador Suleiman Abdulrasheed, and admitted as exhibit.
The AA National Scribe told the tribunal that Hon. Justice Z. P Abubakar of the Federal High Court Abuja, had in a judgement on suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1759/2022, delivered on November 4, 2022, ordered INEC to immediately upload and publish Igbokwe as the validly nominated AA candidate but INEC refused to do so.
Counsels to all the Respondents again kicked against the admissibility of the document but said they would give reasons during the submission of the final written addresses.
Hearing on the matter was adjourned till Saturday.
