Ekere recants victory claim, seeks fresh guber polls in Akwa Ibom

APC governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Nsima Ekere,
has refuted his earlier claim that he won the governorship election
but has now told the governorship elections petitions tribunal in
Uyo that the election should be nullified.

Testifying as a principal witness (PW46) in his petition against
Governor Udom Emmanuel’s re-election, Ekere told the tribunal on
Thursday that he could no longer stand by his written deposition
and now wants the entire election nullified.

Similarly, his running mate in the election, Amadu Attai, also
announced to the tribunal that the ballot papers his party obtained
from INEC as exhibits in the case were no longer useful and would
no longer be tendered before the tribunal.

Attai, PW47, in reference to Paragraph 32(6) confessed that he
had no evidence to authenticate his claims that voter’s cards of
other people were used by PDP members for multiple voting, neither
could he present any data to back his card reader report in his
Paragraph 33.

On his part, Ekere, during cross-examination by 2nd respondents’
counsel Tayo Oyetibo SAN, dismissed his earlier claims that he won
in some local government areas in the state including Essien Udim
and Etim Ekpo during the March 9 governorship elections.

When confronted with his earlier deposition and the evidence by
the Essien Udim Divisional Police Officer, Samuel Isiek, that
election in Essien Udim was free, fair and credible he admitted
that even his tendered result showed he won in Essien Udim but he
wanted the election also cancelled.

“My plea is for full nullification of the entire elections,
including Essien Udim, because by the time we went through
documents provided by INEC we discovered that election was not
conducted according to the provisions of the electoral law,” he
said.

Referring the petitioner to Paragraph 15 Sub 11 of his
statement, Oyetibo asked if accreditation took place in the areas
that he allegedly won, Ekere replied that he was no longer in
support of his previous statement about winning in those areas.

“My lord, I have abandoned the areas I won.”

When confronted with his statement on oath in paragraphs 15(18)
where he claimed to have figures of accredited voters for the March
9 election, Ekere confirmed that he got it from INEC sever but
failed to provide the data source before the tribunal.

The APC governorship candidate who had alleged in Paragraph 44
of his deposition that INEC recruited PDP members as electoral
officers, also failed to provide the list of PDP members whom he
claimed were recruited by INEC as Assistant Polling Officer,
Supervisor Polling Officers, and Returning Officers for the
election.

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Chief Judge Frees 29 Prison Inmates in
Bauchi

The Bauchi State Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar has
released a total number of 29 inmates during her 2019 first and
second quarter jail delivery exercise in the State.

The State Chief Judge in the company of members of the State
Administration of criminal Justice Committee visited the five main
Prisons in the State and two other Satellite Prisons where she
reviewed cases of awaiting trial inmates with minor offences and
released 29.

Briefing newsmen shortly after the exercise in Bauchi Prison,
Justice Rabi T.Umar decried the delay in the duplication of case
diaries of suspects with capital charges from the police and the
State Ministry for Justice. She urged the two agencies to work hand
in hand with a view to ensuring speedy dispensation of Justice. The
Chief Judge ordered the release of five inmates in Bauchi Prison
who have stayed for over five years without trial as their case
diaries could not be duplicated by the Police and their files could
not be found with the State Department of Public Prosecution.

While the State Chief Judge commended some Magistrates and
Sharia Court judges in the State for their diligence towards
effective dispensation of Justice, She however frowned at others
and summoned three of them to her office for obvious
irregularities.

In his remarks, the Controller of Prisons Bauchi State Command,
Suleiman T. Suleiman, commended the Chief Judge for carrying out
the exercise adding that it will go a long way in decongesting
Prisons in the State.

The jail delivery exercise saw the release of 6 inmates from
Jama’are Prison, 13 from Bauchi Prison, Misau 2, Azare 2, Alkaleri
4, Ningi 1 and Zaki 1 respectively, making a total number of
29.

DSP ADAM ABUBAKAR JIBRIN
COMMAND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
NIGERIAN PRISONS SERVICE
BAUCHI STATE COMMAND.
aalgwallary@gmail.com