////////////Witnesses of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Toto Local Government Area (LGA) have told the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that the governorship results of the area were manipulated in favour of Gov. Abdullahi Sule.
The candidate of the PDP, Mr David Ombugadu, is challenging the victory of Gov. Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the polls conducted in March this year.
The PDP and its candidate at the 2023 elections presented two witnesses to prove that the results of Toto LGA were rigged in favour of the APC candidate.
Ombugadu of PDP presented two of the witnesses at the resumed hearing of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday in Lafia.
The two witnesses who were marked as PW-18 and PW-19 tendered their PVCs, agent cards, and PDP membership cards and were examined and cross-examined by the counsels.
They both identified some exhibits which had been tendered to the tribunal and claimed it was not the true reflection of the results from polling units.
Earlier, counsels to Gov Abdullahi Sule, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Wole Olanikpekun (SAN), Hassan Liman (SAN), and Ishaku Dikko (SAN) objected that the two witnesses should not be allowed to testify.
Their objections were on the ground that they were not served with the schedule of the witnesses by the petitioner as stated in the Electoral Act.
They argued that it is a mandatory requirement of the Electoral Act that they must be served with such a schedule; otherwise, that would amount to springing up surprises.
On his part, Samuel Jubril-Okutepa (SAN), the petitioner’s counsel, argued that the pre-hearing report did not make any such provision schedule of witnesses mandatory.
The tribunal overruled the respondents on the fact that the need to make progress should not be sacrificed on technicalities.
After listening to the witnesses, the Chairman of the three-man Governorship Election Petition Panel, Ezekiel Ajayi, therefore, adjourned the sitting to Wednesday, Aug 16, for the continuation of the hearing.