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Immediately the petitioner's witnesses mounted the witness box and started narrating their ordeals and the strategy adopted by the PDP in rigging the election, the entire Court room became noisy due to the startling revelations given by the witnesses one after the other.
At a point, the tribunal had to caution the audience against making side comments particularly lawyers who were sitting at the bar but Caleb Mutfwang's lawyer Pius Akubo SAN, apologised on their behalf.
The testimony that attracted attention most, was when the APC collation agent of Naraguta 'B' ward Aliyu Umaru gave evidence during cross -examination by the respondents lawyers
Before then, the APC collation agent had disclosed that he resides at Febuna and that he was appointed by his party to carry out the assignment in the ward.
Led in evidence by the one Petitioner's lawyer Edward Pwajok SAN,he told the tribunal that he wanted his written statement of 9th April to be admitted as evidence.
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However during cross- examination by counsel to INEC,PDP and Mutfwang 's lawyers, Aliyu pathetically revealed how he was chased out of the collation centre of his registration area by the Jos -North local government area Collation officer.
He revealed that, when results of some poling units were not yet ready,,the local government collation officer just unilaterally decided that the ward election result should be announced which he vehemently kicked against.
Aliyu, sulkily stated that the local government collation officer then asked the security agents to walk him out of the collation centre leaving behind the agent of PDP and other political parties.
Asked if he was aware that one Umaru Mohammed was caught with fourteen BVas machines and that the Police are investigating the matter, the APC agent said he was not aware of that.
On how long it took INEC to announce the Naraguta 'B'ward result, he said it took two days and that the ward is made up 216 polling units.
Also testifying the ward collation agent of the APC in Kapwis of Barakinladi local government area, Barnabas Gyang said that there was no collation of result in the ward.
He stated that there are 30 polling Units in the area and election did not take place in some units.
The respondents lawyers during cross examination asked the agent if he was given any letter of appointment by INEC to carry out the assignment and also wanted to know if one of his party's agent by name Pam Shut was alive.
Gyang disclosed that though he had no letter from INEC,he was given an agent tag adding that to the best of his knowledge, the said Pam Shut is alive.
In his testimony,the APC agent in Kurra falls of Barakinladi local government area, Maicibi Sunday Habila after identifying the result sheet of his ward, revealed that it was canceled because of over voting.
The witness told the tribunal that he was not aware of any polling unit that election did not take place there.
Under cross examination,Habila, who refused to be intimidated by the barrage of questions thrown at him by respondents lawyers, said his role was not limited to ward returning agent alone, but going around to see what was happening in the ward.
Jiks Luka Pam, the returning agen of Nabot ward also of Barakinladi local government area, said there was over voting in Bisichi polling unit number 011 and that the ward consists of twenty-seven polling units.
Though he voted in Mai-Idontoro polling unit 088, he was aware that BVAS machines and accreditation took place in his ward.
The petitioner's lawyer Edward Pwajok SAN, at about 2.30 pm told told the tribunal that they had brought the four witnesses as earlier promised and by tomorrow the 30th of June,it is expected that,eight witnesses would appear and then applied for an adjournment to that date.
Counsel to PDP Emeka Etiaba SAN vehemently opposed the application arguing that the tribunal is supposed to close for the day by 5pm and therefore the petitioner should go on with case.
In a bench -ruling, the tribunal over ruled the objection by the PDP lawyer, saying the APC lawyers had openly told the tribunal that they were bringing in four witnesses which they did ..
The tribunal then granted the application for an adjournment as prayed by Pwajok SAN and also expressed delight with the way the business of the was conducted.
Shittu Bamaiyi reporting.
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