Paradang, Dimka Election Case:  How 3 Exhibits Disappeared Within The Tribunal

Yakubu Busari

 

Drama eschewed at last Wednesday sitting in Plateau state High Court where the Federal House of Assembly and National Assembly Election Petition was holding, the suit filed by the Former Comptroller General of Immigration, Mr. David Shikfu Paradang is challenging the victory of the Former Police Commissioner ,Nde Hezekiah Dimka .

 

Counsel to the People Democratic Party ,PDP, and David Shikfu Paradang presented exhibits P4A,P5A and P80 were said to have disappeared completely during the tribunal stand down to enable the registrar of  National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal was to go and mark the exhibits for the convenient of proceedings .

 

 

The Tribunal stand down to allow the petitioners ,Barr Sunday Oyawole to filed his exhibits then the three man tribunal went into the chamber for the registrar to mark the exhibits sought to be tender for easy proceedings but  suddenly confusion  floods .

 

 

 

This exercise occurred immediately when the tribunal resume sitting and the chairman of the tribunal announced to the petitioners that of his vital documents couldn’t be found during the marking process by the registrar.

 

The chairman said, all of us are now suspicion of each other considering the disappearance of Exhibits P4A, P5A and P80 which is a duplicate copy of result sheet of Mangu LGA for hearing in the petition brought before it by the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Hon. David Shikfu Paradang who is challenging the election of Hon. Hezekiah Dimka of the All Progressives Congress, APC as duly elected Senator for Plateau Central Senatorial District.

 

 

The petitioners counsel, Barr Sunday Oyewole said the documents sought to be tenders are 89 exhibits comprising of forms EC8A (1) and EC8B (1).

 

The exhibits include Certified true  Copies and  duplicates copies forms of INEC result forms of at least  90 pulling units across the five local governments in Plateau state.

 

The forms EC8B1 and Form EC8A1 were all tendered and accepted by the tribunal, even as the counsel to 3 respondents objected and the chairman reserve the objections to their final written addresses.

 

However, on resumption of the session missing of the documents delay the proceedings and witnessed on what could have been base described as a set back to the petitioners, following the sudden disappearance of his exhibits.

 

This, the tribunal explained happened while trying to sort out the exhibits, stressing that it realized that either some of the Exhibits were mixed up and documents were marked the same, adding that, duplicate copies of a ward in Mangu, Bokkos and one other were completely missing.

 

The petitioners, ‘counsel S Oyewale was little somehow worried but assured the tribunal that he has no cause to regret, owing that he has enough evidences to rely on, and the tribunal should progress.

 

The tribunal however ruled that exhibits that couldn’t be found were however expunged if would recall Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Hon. David Shikfu Paradang in the February 2019 general elections contested the senate sest for plateau central senatorial seat against Hon. Hezekiah Dimka of APC which at the end of the contest INEC declare APC candidate the winner of the election.