Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Thursday opened his defence before the Edo State governorship election petition tribunal as witnesses under cross examination provided their accounts of how the September 28 election was conducted.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu are challenging the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Mr Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner Erasmus of the governorship election.
Obaseki’s defence is coming after that of the INEC, which was listed as first respondent and will be followed by that of the APC, which is listed as third respondent.
Obaseki’s witnesses were led in evidence by Mr Adetunji Oyeyepo (SAN), who all testified accreditation and voting for the governorship election held simultaneously in the polling units where they functioned as agents for APC.
Cross examined by counsel to the petitioners, Yusuf Ali (SAN), testified witnesses said the election was free and fair and was conducted in line with the Electoral Act.
They also maintained that they signed the polling units results as requested by the polling officers and that there was neither agitation nor complaints from any quarter during the election.
Some of them however said they were never trained as INEC presiding officers, assistant presiding officers as well as polling clerks on the procedures for the conduct of the election.
One of the witnesses, Efe Edosa, while being cross-examined stated that he did not know whether the ticking on the voters register during the election was to the right or left, adding that he only knew that there was ticking of voters register as part of accreditation.
Another witness, Jimoh Osagiede Justice, an agent to Obaseki at unit 24, ward 4 in Oredo Local Government Area, after being confronted with the voters register where accreditation of voters was done both right and left, said his name was only ticked at the right column.
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