By David Uka, Abakaliki
Fireworks continued on Thursday between counsels of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressive Congress, APC candidates for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency at the National Assembly Election petition tribunal sitting at the judicial headquarters, Abakaliki
Counsel to the Petitioner, Chief Mba Okweni (SAN) and Counsel to the 1st Respondent, Chief Arthur Obi Okafor trade words over the authenticity of the Independent National Electoral Commissions INEC certified true copy result.
Speaking to journalists shortly after sitting at the tribunal in Abakaliki, Chief Mba Okweni who described as ridiculous the claim by candidate of the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Hon Laz Ogbe, and INEC that the petitioner allegedly forged the result sheets issued to him for inspection by the commission insisted that the result given to the petitioner tarries with what they got from the field.
It could be recalled that the representative of the counsel to the first respondent Barrister Agbom Friday Agbom shortly after the last tribunal sitting in Abakaliki accused the candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC of tampering with the INEC election result sheet issued to him for inspection by the tribunal.
The petitioner Comrade Chinedu Ogah and Hon. Lazarus Ogbe contested to represent Ezza south/Ikwo Federal constituency during the general elections on 23rd February 2019.
And the petitioner comrade Chinedu Ogah after the National Assembly elections on 23rd February 2019 and declaration result filled petition to the court to grant him access to Inspect independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) result forms.
According to the counsel to the petitioner, he said, “this is ridiculous, I think INEC need to consider how documents duely certified by the commission, the same document we got from the field during the election and it tarries with what INEC certified and gave to us would now become forge”.
“We will want them to bring the one they said is the proper one outside what was used in the conduct of the election because what we want to put before the tribunal is that both the ones they gave to us from the field and the ones INEC certified and gave to us, are the same and the results should be computed on the base of things that happened in the field not the manipulation they did at the wards and local government collation centers”.
“Elections were not conducted at the ward but at the polling units so the actual election result conputed at the polling units should be declared. That is why i want the tribunal to examine weather the person INEC declared winner is the actual winner of the election on the basis of what took place at polling units”.
“Today is the continuation of the pre-trial so the last application that was pending before the tribunal by the second respondent which is PDP was seeking to dismiss the petition on the ground that we did not apply within time and that pre-trial within time but we have applied within the close of pleading”.
According to him, “this petition is going to be an interesting petition, we want to see how INEC will come and discredit it’s own documents because what we have, INEC gave to us. What they gave to the unit agents , the party agents , police and the respective agents, they gave to us and that is what we are coming to tender”.
“So if they are saying that the card reader they used or the results they declared in the election does not tally with the results they gave to the party, it means they did not do proper election. The result at the polling unit tarries with the case we are making. So we want to see how they will ridicule their own process”.
But in a swift reaction, Counsel to the 1st Respondent, Chief Obi Okafor represented by Barr. Friday Agbom maintained that the documents the petitioner intends to present to the tribunal were forged adding that they will seek the leave of the tribunal to reject the documents.