…as agents testify on Gayam, Chiroma Wards
By our correspondent
More evidence emerged as the Peoples Redemption Party; PRP agent told the Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa state Capital on Wednesday that the summation of Polling Unit result in Gayam Ward Summary Sheet (Form EC8B) was not a correct reflection of the actual computation of the scores by the political parties gotten from the Polling Units other witnesses testified.
It would be recalled that Dr. David Ombugadu and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in their presentation on Wednesday called the Gayam Ward Collation Agent of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) who was summoned to give evidence by a Subpoena issued by the Tribunal.
The witness was designated as PW12 and his subpoena, Agent Tag, Party Membership Card and voters’ card were all admitted in evidence and marked accordingly as exhibits.
The PRP Agent in the course of his evidence told and demonstrated to the Tribunal that as Gayam Ward Agent of the PRP for the 2023 Nasarawa State Governorship/State House of Assembly elections, he signed the form EC8B (Ward Collation Summary) for Gayam Ward for the House of Assembly but did not sign that of the Governorship because the figures in the said Gayam Ward Collation Summary for Governorship were entirely different from the actual summation of votes gotten from the real computation from the respective Polling Units in the Ward.
He further identified the polling units result of the 58 polling units of Gayam Ward earlier admitted in evidence which summation clearly shows that the summary of votes transferred into the Gayam Ward Collation Summary Sheet for the Nasarawa Governorship election were incorrect and not a true reflection of the actual votes gotten by the candidates at the Polling Unit level.
The Chiroma Ward Agent of the Action Alliance also gave evidence at Wednesday’s proceedings. He was summoned by the Tribunal upon the application of the Petitioners to give evidence with respect to collation of results of Polling Units of the Chiroma Ward into the Ward Collation Summary sheet (Form EC8B) for Chiroma Ward of Lafia Local Government Area.
The witness was designated as PW13. It is also the Petitioners’ case that the eventual summary of the results of the Polling Units in Chiroma Ward into the form EC8B was not a correct reflection of the computation of the votes from the respective Polling Units in the Chiroma Ward.
The Petitioners further called two of their Polling Units Agents who also testified in support of the Petitioners’ case. They were designated as PW14 and PW15 respectively.
After listening to the Petitioners’ witnesses, the Tribunal adjourned the matter to Thursday, July 27 2023 for continuation of hearing.
It would be recalled that four witnesses who testified before the Governorship Election Tribunal on Tuesday had told the Tribunal that results from some Polling Units were not entered into forms EC8B as specified by law.
At the resumed hearing, The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC produced additional documents through their representative pursuant to the subpoena issued by the Tribunal and served on the Commission upon the application of the Petitioners.
The documents produced were certified true copies of Polling Units results (forms EC8As) and voters register of identified polling units which were won by the Petitioners. The documents were all admitted in evidence and accordingly marked as Exhibits
The Petitioners also called their Polling Unit Agent for Alwazan Polling Unit Code 009 as their witness no. 9. The witness in his testimony testified that election was held in his Unit where the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP won and results uploaded on the INEC’s IReV but it was not computed into the corresponding form EC8B for the Sabon Gari Ward of Doma Local Government Area.
The Petitioners’ ward collation Agent was also called as a witness in support of the Petitioners case and he testified as the Petitioners’ witness no. 10. In his testimony, he narrated to the Tribunal that election result in the identified Polling Unit, Alwazan Mada Polling Unit Code 009 under his ward was not entered in the Form EC8B (ward summary) for the ward as mandated by law.
The Petitioners in further proof of their case called their Ashige Ward Collation Agent as the Petitioners’ witness no. 11 who also in his testimony narrated to the Tribunal that elections were successfully held in 35 Polling Units (PU) in Ashige Ward where the Petitioners won and the results were collated and entered in the Form EC8B as required by law.
He however told the Tribunal that the entire result of the Ashige Ward (35 Polling Units) were strangely and unjustifiably cancelled at the Local Government Area Collation Centre and was not entered into the corresponding form EC8C for Lafia Local Government Area as required by law thus unlawfully excluded in the Form EC8D in the total computation of votes for the declaration of result.
The four Petitioners’ witnesses identified the various electoral forms and materials already tendered in evidence which they referred to in their various witness depositions.
