Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Tuesday admitted 410 documents as exhibits in a petition brought by Emmanuel Jime and the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the election of Samuel Ortom as Governor of Benue State.
The documents were listed as forms EC8D (Collation of result at state level), Form EC8E (Declaration of election result form), Form EC8C (LGAs Collation at LGA levels) for Seven LGAs of Agatu, Buruku, Gboko, Guma, Gwer East, Gwer West and Logo.
They were admitted and marked as exhibits B1 to B410 following application to that effect by lead counsel to the petitioners, Kehinde Kolawole Eleja (SAN).
In the application, Eleja prayed the court to allow the schedule of documents that have been jointly inspected and mutually consented to be tendered from the Bar by the parties dated the 9th July, 2019 and signed by counsels to the parties in this petition has been filed, this day 9th July, 2019.
“In the circumstances I humbly apply to tender the documents listed in the schedule as exhibits in this petition. The documents are listed on pages 1 to 22.
“They are already in the custody of the registry. I pray that the said documents be admitted in evidence.”
Lead counsel to the respondents did not object to the admissibility of the documents.
Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Adeleye Olusiyi, while granting the application as prayed in his ruling, held that the schedule of documents referred to by the counsel to the petitioners form part of the tribunal, having being filed on 9th July, 2019.
“Counsel to the petitioners has tendered from the Bar all documents itemised herein to which there is no objection from the respondents’ counsels. There are 410 documents itemised herein. All the documents are hereby admitted in evidence and are marked B1 to B410 in the order they are itemised.”
In another ruling, Hon Justice Olusiyi granted the petitioners one more day to conclude joint inspection of documents.
The case was therefore, adjourned to Thursday, 11th July, 2019 for continuation of hearing.