PDP, APC bicker over Akwa Ibom guber poll – TheNigerialawyer

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the All
Progressives Congress (APC) to rejig its outing at the Akwa Ibom
State governorship election petition tribunal, saying the current
flip-flop and haphazard litigation processes will do the APC no
good.

PDP Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, stated this yesterday in
a statement entitled: ‘APC’s endless flip-flop and scare
mongering’.

APC had said it had received credible intelligence and
classified information that PDP and other respondents in the
ongoing governorship election petition trial were making desperate
attempts to tamper with the avalanche of the exhibits and
documented evidence it tendered at the tribunal, challenging the
re-election of Governor Udom Emmanuel.

In its reaction, the PDP denied APC’s allegation, saying: “The
evidence tendered by the petitioner have been duly marked and
recorded by the court and therefore are now the property of the
court, kept in safe custody.

These documents, most of them being public documents, exist in
several copies, with only the Certified True Copies lodged with the
tribunal and therefore cannot be tempered with.

“The nearest to what could have been called tampering with
evidence, was done by the petitioner’s counsel, who was reprimanded
in open court for demanding and handling exhibits, when it was not
yet time for that.

“We have noted with pity the consolatory ambience that the
‘avalanche’ of evidence by the petitioners and we do not intend to
destroy the placebo effect on them, but wish to subtly intimate the
APC that one does not need an avalanche of evidence to win a case
and the dumping of evidence on the tribunal is not a mark of legal
craftsmanship.

“Furthermore, it is the truth, that while the petitioner’s legal
team have sought for and changed their petition more than twice,
the final amended copy filed on June 17, 2019, our defence has been
constant and unchanging, on what basis will we then attempt to
tamper with evidence?

“Is it not amazing that the same APC, through their governorship
candidate cum ‘walking stick’ negotiator and their famed national
comedian addressed a press conference immediately after the
elections and claimed that they won in 26 local government areas
and that they will head to the tribunal to reclaim their victory,
by presenting results to show where and how they won?

“Most surprisingly, both in their petition and oral evidence no
mention was made of their alleged victory in the 26 councils,
rather they claimed they won in only two councils (Etim Ekpo and
Essien Udim).

“This flip flop nature exhibited habitually by the APC will do
them no good at the end. If anything, it speaks to their
stiff-necked resolve to continue to waste oxygen on a corpse,” the
PDP said.