Drama As Umana’s Witnesses Contradict APC’s Position
There was drama at the Akwa Ibom State Election Petition Tribunal holding at FCT High Court, Abuja as witnesses produced by the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate at the April 11 governorship election, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, contradicted the party’s position at the continued hearing of the matter.
Dr Martins Inyang from Ini Local Government Area, one of the witnesses produced by the APC at the tribunal who claimed to have worked for the Democratic Peoples Party during the election, stunned the Tribunal when he claimed that if anyone should have been declared a winner of the election, it should not have been Mr. Umana but the candidate of his party. Umana and his supporters were shocked to hear this from their witness.
That was not the only drama that played out as the other witnesses deviated from the party’s position that there was no election in the state which further infuriated Umana at the hearing as he frowned uncontrollably and made gestures to his lawyer as his witnesses committed unpardonable mistakes that the lawyers for the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel may capitalize on to cause the Tribunal to dismiss his case.
According to our Reporter, the common trend among the witnesses produced by the APC was to insist that there was no election in Akwa Ibom State. But at the Wednesday’s hearing, the APC witnesses during cross-examination by the lead counsels of the PDP governorship candidate, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the testimonies of the witnesses crumbled like a pack of cards.
Departing from the popular refrain that there was no election in Akwa Ibom State, APC witness, Engr Emmanuel Alfred contradicted the position of his party by insisting that election actually took place, which he participated in by voting. When reminded by Counsel to PDP, Mr Tayo Oyetibo, SAN that his position contradicted his ‘adopted statement’, he revealed that the ‘adopted statement’ was prepared by the APC lawyer, maintaining his position that there was election. He added that anyone who said there was no election was a liar. His submission corroborated that of another APC witness, Mr Nkereuwem Okpok of Ikot Asat Nsit of Nsit Ibom Local Government Area who also confirmed that INEC in the Local Government Area had distributed some materials on the Friday before the election and that he had participated and voted in the election. He mentioned some wards in the Local Government Area which he said election had taken place.
Also, Hon Charles Udoetuk from Etim Ekpo who claimed to be a businessman and the Local Government collation agent for the APC during the election, said that he was at the Local Government collation centre from the morning of the election till night, and that his claims in his affidavit that there was no election was based on hearsay and reports from the APC ward agents as he was not in a position to witness the election in the units in person because of his duties at the Local Government.
Another witness, Mr. Raphael Arakpan of Eastern Obolo Local Government Area who along with other witnesses claimed there were widespread violence during the election, claimed he never personally witnessed the violence but was based on the report of others. He also said that no case of violence was reported to the Police.
Wednesday’s court session was a continuation of the fumbling streak of the APC witnesses at the Tribunal