Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A witness called by Senator Dino Melaye, candidate of the Peoples Democratice Party (PDP), in the last senatorial election in Kogi West, Adebowale Abayomi, on Thursday shocked members of the state national Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, when he openly admitted that he was not a registered voter at the election.
Before his confession, the witness, a civil servant, had earlier told the Justice Isa Sambo led tribunal that he voted at polling unit 004.
However, he summersaulted under cross-examination by Dr. Dapo Otitoju, Counsel to Senator Smart Adeyemi as he admitted that he was not a registered voter in the election.
Abayomi who also served as a polling agent in the election said there was no violence in his polling unit.
While answering questions put to him by counsel to Smart Adeyemi, admitted that voting took place up to the point when the result was declared.
Abayomi also told the tribunal that he did not have any other name other than the one he mentioned.
The witness further told the tribunal that he voted at Unit 004, during the disputed election.
But when given exhibit P259- the voters register, to show whether this name was there, the witness, after going through the document for close to 15 minutes, he said, ”My name is not in the register.”
Meanwhile, another witness, Abduganiyu Mustapha, a businessman, said there was no violence in the election against his claim in the statement he swore to before the tribunal.
When asked if there was violence during the election, he said, ”No, there was none in all the units I monitored”.
One of the witnesses also called yesterday, Kayode Medibi Friday, said there was no reported case of gun shot during the election.
According to him, no electorate was injured during the election.
When asked if there was a gun shot in his polling unit, he said, ”No, no disruption at all!”
He continued, ”People voted peacefully, results were counted under a conducive atmosphere.”
At the last sitting of the tribunal, witnesses of the, PDP, and its Candidate, Senator Melaye, failed to substantiate allegation of disruption of the Kogi West Senatorial election in Kogi state.
The PDP candidate had in his petition before the tribunal alleged irregularities in the November 30, 2019 senatorial election in the state.
Some of the witnesses called before the tribunal yesterday had also in their statement before the tribunal alleged irregularities.
But when they were called upon by the tribunal to testify, they contradicted their claim that the election was marred with irregularities.
One of the witnesses, Ayodele Olayinka, an Artisan, in his evidence before the court admitted that there was no disruption of the election process.
According to him, no one tampered with the ballot paper of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the election.
He said, ”There was no disruption of the electoral process in my polling unit. Nobody tampered with the ballot papers during the election. The result of the election was announced to the hearing of everyone without objection from any of the agents. The election was violence-free.”
Another witness, Abiodun Aremu, who told the tribunal that he registered at Ward 04 said there are five polling units in the ward.
According to him, out of the five wards, he had complaints against polling unit 02 in the ward.
He however, alleged that there was under-voting but failed to prove the allegation before the tribunal.
He told the tribunal that there was no complaint from voters at the polling unit where he voted.