Tribunal: INEC Staff Confess To Making Errors, Omissions During Ekiti Elections

Four Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) witnesses
on Monday told the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition
Tribunal that the electoral umpire did nothing to favour the All
Progressives Congress (APC) and Gov John Kayode Fayemi in the July
14 election in the state.

The witness said this as INEC opened its defence before the
tribunal, sitting in FCT High Court Apo, in the petition brought by
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the
election, Prof. Olusola Kolapo, challenging the declaration of
Fayemi as the winner of the election.

The electoral body, APC and Gov Fayemi were joined as
respondents in the petition.

The witnesses, Fadipe Titus; Olafusi Frederick; Bolade Funmilola
and Olori Olubunmi, all made the declaration while being crossed
examined by the counsel for APC, Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN.

The witnesses, who were Electoral Officers for Moba; Emure;
Ise-Orun and Ekiti South-West local government areas, further told
the tribunal that the allegation of irregularities during the
election was not true.

Fadipe said the electoral officials, who worked under him during
the election, carried out their duties fairly and diligently in
substantial compliance with the Electoral Act and the INEC
guideline.”

He said though the ad hoc staff, who were serving corps members,
deployed by INEC in the election were trained, they still made some
honest mistakes.

He denied the allegation of polling officials deliberately
voiding votes meant for the petitioners, saying that, “no presiding
officer would deliberately void ballot papers”.

Under cross-examination by the petitioners’ counsel, Mallam
Yusuf Alli, SAN, the witness said the corps members used for the
election as ad hoc staff, were not known to him before.

He said that he did not visit all the polling units in his local
government, declaring that “it is not possible (to do so)”.

According to Olafusi, it is not true that the electoral body
manipulated documents in favour of both APC and Gov Fayemi.

While admitting that the ad hoc staff committed some honest
errors, he declared that: “I want to confirm that they did their
work fairly and diligently as trained. In all human endeavours,
errors and omission are made.”

He said that where such honest errors were made, the election
officials were entitled to correct same, saying that, “nobody is
above mistake”.

Answering a question from Mallam Alli, the witness stated that
he did not know any of the agents of parties who served in his
local government during the election personally.

He said that he worked with 383 ad hoc staff during the
election, adding that all of them were trained by INEC and that
they wrote competence test a week before the election days.

The Electoral Officer for Ise-Orun LGA, Ayodele, said that all
the ballot papers issued by the electoral body for election in the
local government were accurately accounted for.

Olafusi, under cross-examination by the petitioners’ counsel,
said that there were 108 polling units in the local government
area, adding that she only visited four wards and picked some units
there for visit.

On her part, Olori declared that the allegations made against
INEC were bogus.

According to her, “there was no report, oral or written, from
the agent of PDP or the party’s candidate, Prof. Kolapo,
complaining about the conduct of the election.”

She added that she was not aware of any complaints about the
conduct of the election in Ekiti South-West LGA were sent to INEC
headquarters in Abuja or even in the state.

Olori stated that she could not remember the number of ballot
papers she issued to polling officials for the conduct of the
election.

“I am not in the position to know the number (of ballot papers)
used and unused as I am here,” she added.

In another development, INEC, throught its counsel, Chief
Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan SAN, tendered certified true copies of
Form EC8C for Ekiti South-West; Ise-Orun; Emure; Ikere; Moba;
Ikole; Ido-Osi and Ilejemeje local government areas.

It also tendered the manual for election officials 2018. All the
documents were admitted by the tribunal.

Meanwhile, at the request of INEC counsel, the chairman of the
tribunal, Justice Suleiman Belgore, adjourned sitting till Tuesday
Nov.6 for continuation of hearing.