Melaye cried foul, saying that the exercise was marred by irregularities. Two weeks after the poll, he went to the tribunal. His complaint was that his supporters were deprived from exercising their voting rights.
The litigation involving All Progresives Congres Senator Smart Adeyemi and Senator Dino Melaye has been full of drama at the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, Abuja. The people of Kogi West District anxiously await the judgment. Where will the pendulum of victory swing? Deputy EditorEyes were on the two gladiators during the Kogi West senatorial election. Many had predicted that the battle will shift from the ballot box to the temple of justice.
Counsel to INEC, Chris Alashey, told the tribunal, led by Justice Isa Sambo, that the case of the commission had been well established with the evidence of the petitioner’s witnesses under cross-examination. Otitoju said: ”It’s a waste of time calling witnesses in our case because the witnesses of the petitioner have proved our case for us.
Since we have been able to elicit piece of evidence that supports our case, we will not be calling witnesses’.” But, after looking through the document for about 15 minutes, he said he could not find his name in the register of voters for unit 004 where he claimed to have voted.Also, the PDP candidate said he was in all the 564 polling units on the election day. Before the petirioner was called to the witness box, some of his agents who were also witnesses had testified before the tribunal, saying the election was free, fair and credible.
He was later confronted with the Form EC8-D1 containing the result of the polling unit and was asked to read it. But, he claimed he could not see it clearly because his glasses got broken when the tribunal went on break. He contended that allowing the statement will amount to the tribunal extending the days permitted by the Constitution for the filing of a post-election petition.
He said: ”There was no over-voting during the election. No ballot box was snatched in my unit. I was the one who signed the result for PDP during the election.” At the teibunal, there was a mild drama when some of the petitioner’s witnesses denied their statements on oath. A witness, Magi Abraham Shade, may have delt a blow to the case when she said he was from Okedayo instead of Kakun that was in his written statement.
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