Kogi West: I acted on hearsay report, Dino’s agent tells tribunal

Godwin Tsa, Abuja

Hearing in the election petition filed by Senator Dino Melaye against the election of Senator Smart Adeyemi continued on Friday with a shocking revelation by his witness, Ibrahim Jimoh that he acted on hearsay report after the result from his polling unit was declared.

Dino was the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the November 2019 Kogi West senatorial election.

Testifying before the state National Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, Ibrahim Jimoh, Ijumu Ward collation agent, he said he was not at the venue of the declaration of result after votes were counted.

He said he relied on the report of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after the election.

But according to electoral laws, party agents must be available when results and are counted before they are declared.

Jimoh told the Justice Isa Sambo-led tribunal sitting at the Federal High Court in Abuja, that that he was not available when result s were counted but relied on INEC report.

When asked by Dr. Oladapo Otitoju, counsel to the respondent in the petition, Senator Smart Adeyemi, if the ballot papers were counted in his presence, he said no, adding that he relied on INEC report and what other agents told him.

According to him, election went on peacefully without violence.

When asked how he got the result he said: ”I was not there. I was not on ground. Yes, it was the second agent that came to tell me the figure.”

Another witness, Ademola Samuel, a farmer, after adopting his statement on oath as evidence before the tribunal also said the election was without violence.

Samuel told the tribunal that he examined the results after the election but when asked to shed more light on his analysis of the examination of the results, he said he acted on what he was told.

Recall that another witness had in his testimony on Thursday admitted that he was not a registered voter in the said election.

In addition, Abduganiyu Mustapha, a businessman, told the tribunal in his testimony that there was no violence during the conduct of the disputed election.

Further sitting of the tribunal has been adjourned to April 20, 2020.