How Voters Cards Of Dead People Whose Names Reflected In Voter Registers Were Used To Thumb Print For APC- Witness

Yakubu Busari

At the ongoing Plateau Governorship Tribunal a witness has said that they all saw the APC using voters cards of many dead people which they were thumb printing for the APC.

At the Plateau Governorship Election Tribunal, the lead counsel to Sen Jeremiah Timbut Useni, Barr Mike Ozekhome ,(SAN) represented by Barr Edward Pwajok ,SAN, on Tuesday has tendered Jos North and Wase Local Government Councils poling units registered and wards results before the Tribunal sitting in Jos ,west of mines .

Pwajok told the Tribunal that they kick started the proceedings and today we have another set of documents that is already certified and he is seeking the Tribunal to tender in witness.

According to him, under paragraph 4 of their own copies subject to the Tribunal convenient for me to front load the documents for making as additional evidence.

However, the counsel to the 1st respondent, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN , who was undisposed during the proceedings but was represented by A.O Ajalla replied that they are not going very oppose their application but would object it in their final written statement.

Counsel to Governor Simon Lalong who is the second respondent in the suit said we have seen the documents but we reserve the objections to our written address and Garba Pwul for 3rd respondent (APC) raised observation that they want to object but owning the new law we are going to do so in our written address .

Justice Halimat Salesman ,said inview of the Tribunal laydown policy that would be reserve for all counsels to include in their final written address .

She said the Tribunal hereby admitted the said documents mark them as exhibits P96-P96A ,P97-P97A ,P98-P98A ,,P98-P98A, P99-P99A, P100-P100A,P101-P101A,P102-P102A,P103-P103A,and P104-P104A,P105-P105A, P106-P106A respectively.

The witnesses were led in evidence by senior counsel to the Petitioners  Hon PG Pwajok, SAN, with documentary evidence from  different Polling units and wards of Jos North Local Government Area.

Jos North Local Government Area told the Tribunal that he wasn’t allow to  Vote’s or participated in the election but dead people whose names reflected in the voters registered were counted  even in their graved  – Witness.

Witnesses from Jos North Local Government Area have taken centre stage at the on-going hearing of the Petition by Sen JT Useni and the PDP challenging INEC’s declaration of Simon Bako Lalong as winner of the Governorship election in Plateau State.

Ten (10) of the witnesses testified on Monday July 8 at the resumed seating of the tribunal, and another set of not less than seven (7) witnesses have been lined up for Tuesday.

They insisted on stating the facts of what they said transpired on the day of the governorship election even when Counsel to Respondents interjected many times to cut short their answers or make them say only what counsel wanted to hear.

Their complaints centred mainly on cancellation of results alteration ,over voting, intimidation of voters, non-accreditation of voters, allocation of figures, non-functional Card Readers and low voter turnout; yet votes were allocated to favour APC against the PDP and other political parties in their Polling Units.

Sani Najib Abdullahi,Gaddafi Mohammed ,Joseph Nandak Gambo ,and Mubarak Kabir on cross examination told  the tribunal that :

“they all  saw them using voters cards of many dead people and they were just thump printing. There was no real voting. We were intimidated. Afterwards they just allocated figures, and gave PDP 24 and APC 454. We were not allowed to vote for the candidates of our choice.”

Hamza Ado said many of those who were accredited and those who were not were allowed to vote.

“But my lords, I was not allowed to vote. I was only allowed to sign the result sheets. They forced me to give them the copies and they inserted whatever results they wanted.”

Shafiu Abdullahi of Abba Na Shehu alleged that his supervisor was beaten. “We were threatened with death.”

Mubarak Abdul said after the election was conducted, votes were not sorted out in the presence of Unit party agents and that voters cards belonging to people who were not present at the venue of the exercise were brought in, accredited manually and votes were cast on their behalf.

Another witness Abdullahi Yunusa, a PDP agent at his Polling Unit said results were merely allocated or votes were cast for the electorate who were practically not on ground at the election venue because there was  low voter turn out.

Many other witnesses said the election was characterized by overvoting, harrasement, manipulation of results and alterations of figures.

Meantime, the Useni legal team has tendered before the tribunal more sets of documents as well as the schedule of the documents submitted.

They consist of INEC Duplicate copies of Statements of Result – INEC Form EC8A and attached Certified True Copies (CTC).

The legal team has also submitted to the tribunal the first set of Register of Voters.

Chairman of the tribunal Hon Justice HA Saleeman has received, checked and marked the documents as Exhibits, thus admitting them in evidence.

It is the norm for Respondents counsel to object to the admission of the documents but to reserve the reasons for their objections to their final addresses before judgement is delivered.

Hon EG Pwajok, SAN, has assured that the Legal Team is handling the case according to plan.

“Our witnesses are giving direct and first hand evidence, not hearsay, because they saw the whole processes of the election. We are also encouraged by how the Honourable Tribunal is  conducting its business.”