Election Tribunal : Drama as PDP witness fails to proof claim of being polling agent
There was a drama at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Friday, when a witness of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Isau Lawal, was unable to substantiate his claim that he was the party’s polling agent, during the March 18 governorship election in the State.
Lawal, who claimed to live in Makun, Sagamu had claimed to have worked as PDP’s polling agent for PU002, Ward 12, but when the Counsel to the All Progressives Congress(APC) pointed out that one Yewande Babatunde was the PDP’s polling agent at the said polling unit, he backtracked and admitted knowing Yewande Babatunde as the rightful agent of the party for the unit.
The witness backtracked when he was not been able to show evidence that he worked at the polling unit 002 during the March 18 governorship election.
Earlier during proceedings, the panel had overruled an objection of PDP’s counsel over observed repetition and similarity in statements made by its different witnesses in respect of the different polling units they covered.
Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Remi Olatubora, had raised the observations and asked questions about the similarities in the PDP witnesses’ statements and several cases of inconsistencies, prompting the petitioner’s counsel, Goddy Uche, to raise objection against it, but the Panel overruled him.
The observations were unanimously endorsed by all the counsel to the respondents.
