Witnesses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State have
testified before the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in
Jos that the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Sen.
Jeremiah Useni won the governorship election in their polling unites
with a wide margin.
Testifying before the tribunal, Dung Isaiah
Bitrus of Ratsak Zabot ward of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area during
cross examination by counsel to Useni, Benso Igbanoi, said the PDP won
the governorship election in his polling unit.
“PDP won the
governorship election in my polling unit and I signed the result sheet
and was given a duplicate copy which I handed over to my ward collation
agent.”
Also, Lam Joseph Choji of Heipang in Barkin Ladi Local
Government Area told the tribunal that in the result sheet that he
signed, PDP won the election in his Kabong 1 ward with 550 votes against
APC with 99 votes
Ringpwom Byetfa of Shishiri ward in Langtang
North Local Government Area informed the tribunal that in his Kumbwan 1
polling unit, PDP scored 360 votes as against APC’s 68 votes.
However,
during cross-examination by Useni’s counsel, Benson Igbanoi on the
alleged certificate forgery of Governor Lalong, Lalong’s star witness,
Hon Luka Fwanyil and former Attorney General of Plateau State, said
Lalong contested the election with a name Simon Bako Lalong and not
Simon Sule Lalong as being contested.
He noted that he was the
returning officer for both APC and Simon Lalong in the governorship
election and said the poll was peaceful, free, fair and credible.
“The
election was free and fair; I did not receive any report of electoral
malpractice from any of the collation centres across the state.”
When
he was referred to the personal documents that Governor Lalong had
filled and submitted to INEC under oath, Barr Fwangyil said he had known
the then APC candidate for 30 years and for the elections into the
state House of Assembly in 1999 and 2003 as well as into the office of
governor, in 2015 and 2019; it was the same name “Simon Bako Lalong”
that was used in his documentation.
Chairman of the Governorship
Election Petition Tribunal, Hon. Justice H.A. Saleeman, expressed
disappointment over the failure of the 2nd respondent, Simon Bako
Lalong, and his legal team to produce their witnesses as directed by
the tribunal.
She said only four witnesses showed up for Lalong
when seating resumed on Friday 26th July after the tribunal had
reluctantly adjourned two times on Thursday at the instance of the
respondents.
The defense counsel and Lalong’s lawyers, Pius
Akubo, SAN, apologised and blamed the situation on distance, the Plateau
rough terrain and the fact that that it was the period is the height of
the farming season when many witnesses would be very busy on their
farms.
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