Following the damning evidences unleashed by the pertitioner’s star witness against the victory of Governor Abdullahi Sule at the April governorship election in the state, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suddenly closed its defence, claiming it was expensive to sponsor witnesses to the Tribunal.
INEC which was the empire that conducted the March 18 Governorship and State House of Assembly Elections through its Lead Counsel, Isiaka Dikko (SAN) failed to tender from the Bar before the Tribunal Form EC8A’S Series among documents in evidence to support it defense dated Friday.
Documents expected to be presented by INEC are Certified True Copies (CTC) of purported Form EC40G for 36 Polling Units in Ashige Electoral Ward Lafia LGA, Certified True Copy of the purported Form EC40G of a Polling Unit in Gayam Electoral Ward Lafia LGA and purported manual of Form EC8B for Kanje/Abuni Electoral Ward, Awe LGA.
Others are purported manual form EC8B for Gayam Electoral Ward Lafia LG, Purported manual form EC8B for Ciroma Electoral Ward Lafia LGA, 13 Manual Form EC8C’s Series for the 13 LGA’S of the State.
Also to be presented by the electoral empire before the Tribunal was manual Form EC8D (Summary of all LGA’S Collation Results at the State Collation Center, purported manual form EC8E (Declaration of Governorship, Nasarawa State and INEC receipt of payments in respect of the above named documents.
In response, the petitioners lead counsel, J. Usman (SAN), objected in totality the admissibility of the above tendered documents by the 1st respondent alleging that those documents are worthless pieces of papers and we reserved our further arguments to the Final Address Stage.
Finally, 1st Respondent Counsel argued that having participated in the cross-examination of the Petitioners witnesses and elicited evidence therein, “I humbly apply on behalf of our client to close our defense.”
Meanwhile, the 2nd respondent in the petition is billed to open its defense on today, Saturday as the court adjourned sitting on Friday.