Yakubu Busari
The All Progressives Congress, (APC) Hon .Abdul Yanga has confirmed that the Mangu North Constituency election of 18th March 2023 election was marred by irregularities, noncompliance to the electoral act, and use of BVAS machine malfunctions in parts of the polling units in Mangu Local Government Council of Plateau state.
He made this confirmation during his cross-examination before Honourably Justice William Olamide , Justice Emmanuel Nwazunke Nwibe, and Justice Mohammed Mohammed of the second panel in Jos .
Hon .Abdul Yanga told the trial tribunal that he leave in Mangu LGA of Plateau State and contested the seat of the state House of Assembly under the platform of APC.
He is the 1st petitioner and APC the 2nd petitioner challenging the declaration of Sani Shiklak alian Golden of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the first respondent.
According to him , he signed a witness statement on oath before the secretary of the trial tribunal on the 7th April ,2023 at the west of mines Jos in evidence and was admitted during proceedings.
However, the trial tribunal asked the respondents whether they are objecting to the admissibility of the documents sought to be tendered in evidence but they said no objections and the paragraph 27 of the statement referred to Bitrus Kaze High Court judgment and others series of High Court, Federal High court ,Appeal Court and supreme court respectively and are all marked as exhibits P1,P2,P3 ,P4,P5,P6,P7 .
Yanga explained that yes it is true that INEC conducted a peaceful election on the 18th day of March, 2023 and I am also a candidate not an agent .Yes I have never handle BVAS machine in my life ,Do you vote on that day ,yes ,I didn’t cast my vote using register list .
Where you accredited before voting ,yes I was duly accredited my lord ,then How may polling units in Mangu LGA ,we have 154 polling units including the new ones .which of the polling unit ,My polling unit is in Ugwan Kasuwa Ali with code 008 .
The 2nd respondent was a contestant and his name appears in the ballot paper ,Abdul Yanga told the trial tribunal that he was surprise he see the PDP inside the ballot paper during the election because they don’t have structure .When ask whether he participated in the PDP congress and not a member of their party .
And equally, you have not participated in their primary that produced the second respondent (yes), and are you aware that the first respondent produced the list of candidates in the last election? Yes, am aware. Please can you confirm that your party prior to the election didn’t challenge the outcome of the PDP congress, yes my lord.
You’re not the collation center no I was there and didn’t have a particular role so I have no opportunity to verify the election because we have agents in all the polling units. please what was the score you get 9,396 votes and the PDP candidate scored 24,275 -9,396 = 15,879 differences.
He disclosed that the outcome of the election I could not win my own polling unit and the results derived came from the cyber yes and there can be a result if BVAS was not used, Yanga said I didn’t know.
He stated that he is not aware of the agents who signed all the polling units results and is not a party to any of the judgments either, when ask that because you’re not a party so you don’t know no these are public documents.
Yanga told the trial tribunal that the suit filed by Augustine Timku was dismissed at the federal high and appeal court on grounds of jurisdiction by Honourably Justice Dorcas B.Agishi .The PDP repeated Congress of 25/09/2022 was admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits 2R2 which is CTC by INEC .
The second witness was PW 2 ,Mr Wumana Bako and trial tribunal adjourned for final written address .
