Edo Gov Tribunal: We were trained by APC, not INEC —Witnesses

WITN-ESSES called by the All Progressives Congress, APC, third respondent in its defence of the petition filed by Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal challenging the declaration of Mr Godwin Obaseki of the APC as winner of the September 28, 2016 governorship election by INEC, yesterday claimed that they were not trained by the electoral body but by their party.

The witnesses included, Mr. Charles Adenomon, Diamond Ogieriakhi, Ugeleri Sunday, Emmanuel Omoregbee, Osadolor Gilbert and Samuel Omoruyi, all from Ikpoba/Okha and Ovia South-West Local Government Areas, respectively.

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The witnesses told the three-man tribunal before it went on recess when being cross examined by counsel to INEC, Mr. Onyiyen Anomuyen and Mr Ken Mozia (SAN) for Second respondent, that their party trained them prior to the election and not INEC.

They claimed that they were not trained with INEC Electoral Manual 2016 nor given the Electoral body’s Voters Register. Or other materials from it’s officials during the election.

The witnesses told the tribunal that there were no complaints from any polling agents including that of the PDP and electoral officials on the conduct of the election which they described as free and without violence.

They also agreed that all the party agents signed the results released at the collation centres without complaining.

However, under cross examination by counsel to the petitioners, Mr Kemi Pinheiro, some of the witnesses agreed that accreditation was very important and no one can vote without being accredited during the election process just as they claimed not to know what constitutes over voting.

On the ticking of the photographs on the left and right sides of the Voters Register, while one of the witnesses from Ikpoba/Okha,Diamond Ogieriakhi said he saw INEC officials ticked the register in his unit, he cannot confirmed the same in other units ,another witness, Emmanuel Omoregbee said although he was accredited before he voted, accreditation was beyond his scope.

On his part, Hon Osadolor Gilbert claimed that he did not observed tickings in the Voters register in units 8 and 9 even though he observed that ticking to the left side of his photograph when being accredited to vote.