The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday
in Kaduna, presented one witness and closed its case in the
petition before the State Governorship Election Petition
Tribunal.
INEC, the 1st respondent in the petition of the Peoples Docratic
Party (PDP), had earlier assembled 10 witnesses for its
defence.
The PDP and its governorship candidate in the March 9 election,
Isah Ashiru, are challenging the return of Governor Nasiru El-Rufai
of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as winner of the
election.
The Justice Ibrahim Bako-led Tribunal had on July 15, adjourned
to Thursday for INEC to open its defence, after failing to do so on
Monday.
The petitioners had closed their case after presenting 135
witnesses to prove alleged mass rigging, ballot stuffing and
violence recorded during the poll.
INEC at the time said it would present 10 witnesses in its
defence with nine being the commission’s staff.
However, on Monday, counsel to the commission, Aliyu Umar (SAN),
informed the tribunal that they could not open defence as most of
their witnesses were attending 2019 INEC election review conference
in Abuja and asked that the commission be given up to Thursday,
July 18 to open its defence.
Mr Bako accepted the request and fixed hearing to July 18 for
INEC to call its witnesses and close by Friday, July 19.
However, at the resumed hearing of the tribunal on Thursday,
INEC opened defence with presentation of volumes of documents used
for the March 9 governorship poll.
The commission afterwards presented one witness, Ibrahim Umar,
INEC’s deputy director operations in the state and closed its case
after cross examination.
The lead counsel told journalists during an interview that the
documents and one witness presented were sufficient for the
defence.
Mr Umar said the witness who was cross examined by the
petitioners had provided responses that covered most of the issues
in the petition.
Meanwhile, the tribunal adjourned to July 19, for Mr El-Rufai to
open his defence.
(NAN)
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