Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom State
Former governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio on Saturday told the tribunal that he is not yet ready to open his defence before the tribunal but his request for a week grace by his counsel, Paul Usoro, to enable him get witnesses ready was objected to by counsel to the petitioner, Chief Assam Assam (SAN).
The All Progressives Congress candidate for North-West Senatorial district, Chief Inibehe Okori had approached the National Assembly tribunal challenging the conduct of the election and declaration of Godswill Akpabio as winner.
The tribunal chairman, Justice Goddy Anunihu, then ordered Akpabio to open his defence on September 9, 2015 or face the consequences.
The tribunal had earlier ruled that the petitioners cannot tender their forensic report as they failed to list the name of the witness they intend to call at the time of filing the petition.
The tribunal said the relief sought could not come at this stage of the trial as it was brought outside the pre-hearing session, even though the evidence sought to be tendered was not ready both at the time of filing the petition and at the pre hearing session.
The tribunal had earlier granted the petitioners, Chief Inibehe Okori and the All Progressives Congress (APC) leave for the inspection of election
materials used in the conduct of the polls.
According to the forensic report by forensic expert and data analyst, Abdullahi Dauda, the election that brought about the over 450,000 votes upon which Akpabio was declared winner was “defective both to science and common sense because it was practically impossible for the number of voters who were accredited to have produced the number of votes counted during the inspection, let alone produce the number of votes INEC declared for the election”.
The report read in …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
