More PDP Witnesses Testify Against Sen. Ubah’s Election – TheNigerialawyer

More witnesses on Wednesday testified at the Elections Petition
Tribunal sitting in Awka against the victory of Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah
of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the Feb. 23 election
Anambra South Senatorial District election.

Chief Chris Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is
challenging Ubah’s victory in a consolidated petition no.
EPT/AN/SEN/11.

Uba had said he had no fewer than 32 witnesses to give evidence
in his petition.

At the resumed hearing, counsel to Ubah, George Igbokwe (SAN)
introduced Mr Ama Igwe, an Assistant Director in the ICT Department
of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja as a
witness.

But Obinna Adindu and Chukwuemeka Nwigwe, counsel to INEC and
Ubah respectively, objected that Igwe would not be allowed to
testify nor his material evidence be admitted.

They argued that the witness was not originally listed among
those that would testify in the petition.

They argued that his introduction into the matter was outside
the 21 days stipulated in the Electoral Act for petitioners to
plead their evidence.

The defense counsel who told the court that they received Igwe’s
statement on oath on July 23, said it would amount to abuse of
process if the witness was allowed to testify or his documents
admitted.

They prayed the tribunal not to accommodate the witness as it
would amount to overreaching amendment of the process and flagrant
abuse of the constitution and the Electoral Act.

In his response, Igbokwe told the tribunal that the witness was
a product of court subpoena and was invited because of the
substantial effect the evidence in his possession had in the
matter.

The petitioner’s counsel said that the basis for the objection
of the defence was misconceived and totally irrelevant to the case
in point.

He said that the petitioner could not have been able to compel
INEC to testify on his behalf if not for the order of court.

The senior advocate who cited CPLR 40859(2015) said Appeal Court
upheld the admission of Subpoenaed witness to testify as it
permited substantial justice to be done to the parties in the
matter and the electorate they represented.

He prayed the tribunal to allow the subpoenaed witness to
testify and discountenance the objections.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Thelma Okara, directed all parties
to forward the authorities they relied on to the tribunal and
reserved ruling on the admissibility of the subpoenaed witness for
July 27.

In his testimony, Mr Pascal Okpala who said he worked as a PDP
collation agent in Nnewi North Local Government Area added that he
did not sign the result sheet which the defence showed him.

Okpala who earlier tendered results, voter register and INEC
Smart Card Reader results from his party, said he did not know one
Mr Arinze Ejimonye whose name appeared on the result sheet.

Mr Tony Ngaji also testified, bringing the number of witnesses
that have appeared for the petitioner so far to four.

The tribunal adjourned sitting on the petition until July 27 for
further hearing.

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Why children’s communication disorder persists in
Nigeria- Don

Authorities and community leaders have been urged to prioritise
the need to develop child language and continue to pay deserving
attention to language disabilities and general communication
disorder for a proper child upbringing, a professor of Linguistics
in Child Language and Communication Disorder at the National Open
University of Nigeria (NOUN), Shirley Yul-Ifode, has advised.

She said there is an absence of attention in the area of
children’s communication pattern and disorder in Nigeria, which
practically makes the inculcation of societal values and traditions
in the children difficult and thereby breeds the resultants social
vices.

Yul-Ifode stated this on Wednesday, 24th July, 2019 at the NOUN
headquarters in Abuja, while presenting her Inaugural Lecture on
the topic: “The Child Beyond the Breath of Life: Our Corporate
Concern.”

delivered before the multitude of guests from in and outside the
university.

The lecture, which the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof.
Abdalla Uba Adamu, said was the university’s 14th in the series,
was part of the requirement of any lecturer who attains the rank of
professorship in the academic journey.

Yul-Ifode said the consequences of a communication disordered
person transcend the communication activity, “because of the
relationship between the developing child and his language, the
medium of communication, which is an index of normal/healthy
development, maladjustment, as well as some developmental
disorders.”

“Any family that goes beyond the breath of life and pays
attention to the language development of a child will be able to
identify deviations not only in the communication patterns, when
they arise, but also in other areas of the development of the child
for early intervention,” she added.

Yul-Ifode, a native of Emevor town in Delta State, admonished
parents to quickly provide help and support to a child identified
with such disorders to minimise the effect of the attendant
limitation placed on people with communication disorder.

She lamented that the various organisations involved with
persons with disabilities have continued to operate in isolation in
the country, leaving stakeholders with only occasions as World
Disability Day, Children’s Day, World Autism Day to meet.

She advised that interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary forum
should be organised to brainstorm on the way forward for the
special children in Nigeria.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu, while commenting on the lecturer,
described her as someone who took an unusual step presenting her
Inaugural Lecture by developing her research into reality.

He urged the Faculty of Arts of the university to think of
establishing a Research Centre of Communication Disorders, due to
the critical need of such to address the ubiquitous instances of
language disabilities and communication disorder.

He said with about N90 million funds reserved for institutions
based researches by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND),
other faculties of the university should begin to develop ways of
partnerships towards relevant researches on specific areas of
learning.

Adamu described the topic as apt, stressing that “we all faced
language disorder in our lives and with our children,” which made
the presentation “absolutely wonderful and inspiring.”

Ibrahim Sheme
Director, Media and Publicity
NOUN