Abia Tribunal: INEC witness contradicts self over Obingwa result

The Abia State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the State capital, continued its hearing on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, of the petition brought by Chief Ambrose Okechukwu Ahiwe challenging the declaration of Mr Alex Otti as the winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Abia State.

The electoral body, INEC, opened and closed its defence by calling only one witness (DW1), Mr Nkemjika Kelechi Okere, who served as INEC’s Electoral Officer for Obingwa LGA.

He adopted his written deposition and relied on it as his evidence, conceding that exhibit P188 before the court was the authentic result sheet for Obingwa LGA.

However, in a sudden twist and in the same breath, he denied that the same exhibit P188 (Obingwa LGA result) was ever rejected, taken to INEC headquarters in Abuja, and declared after three days by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Nnenna Otti.

Under cross-examination by the Petitioner’s counsel, Mr Nkemjika Kelechi Okere was reminded that Professor Nnenna Otti brought a result from Abuja that was not signed by any party agent and declared the same as the Obingwa LGA result after three days.

The witness, however, said it was not true.

At that point, there was a loud murmuring in the court because the counsel’s submission was a known fact not only to Abians but also to Nigerians as a whole, and those present in court found it strange that an INEC official would attempt to deny that fact.

Pressed further under cross-examination, the Witness later agreed that political parties observe collation and are allowed to sign result sheets, but that the result sheet for Obingwa LGA was not signed by an agent of any political party, including that of the Labour Party.

When shown exhibit P38, Mr. Okere acknowledged that it bore the signature marks of agents of more than six political parties.

He also agreed he was not a polling unit Collation Officer and could not have been physically present in all the polling units but merely relied on information he obtained from collation officers of the 312 polling units of Obingwa LGA.

The witness further agreed in his deposition that collation could not be held in Nadiakata/Amairinabua Ward 9 of Obingwa LGA because of the violence that broke out there, but that upon the return of the State Returning Officer from Abuja, votes were surprisingly allotted for the same Ward 9 where voting could not take place because of violence.

He was shown the exhibit, and he confirmed to the court that Ward 9 was mysteriously allotted votes on the result sheet (P188).

He eventually affirmed that he was not the INEC collation officer for Obingwa LGA.

In closing his defence, Mr J. C. Nnodim, SAN, announced that INEC would no longer call any witnesses from the five earlier scheduled to be called.

The tribunal adjourned to Thursday, August 24, 2023, for Mr Alex Otti to open his defence.

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