By Ibrahim Hassan
The gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, Rt.Hon Isa Ashiru has told the election petition tribunal in Kaduna State that two conflicting election results emerged from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kaduna state.
According to him, election results were changed in favour of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) in Kaduna state.
Speaking at the Tribunal sitting in Kaduna after adopting his final written addresses before the three-man panel of the tribunal, Ashiru through his lead counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, said that INEC was responsible for the manipulation of election results.
The PDP guber candidate alleged over voting and abuse of electoral processes, and called for the reversal of the INEC declaration that produced Senator Uba Sani as Governor of Kaduna State.
The lead counsel who spoke on the issue of not able to call polling unit agents as one of the witnesses,said that manipulation of election results were not done at the polling units but, within the ambit of INEC.
“Therefore, there was no need for calling any agents as a witness.Election results were not changed at the polling units, but that was done outside the polling units before they were declared at the INEC in favour of APC. Our agents at the polling units of other parties were all given their duplicate copies from which we confirm that the Petioners actually won the election. Neither INEC nor Uba Sani produced contrary original or duplicate copies respectively to disproof our agents certified duplicate copies . We have conflicting results both from INEC, and all were signed by the same INEC,” he said
Counsels to the 1st (INEC), 2nd (Uba Sani) and 3rd (APC) respondents had applied that the written addresses of Ashiru and his party; PDP be dismissed.
Chief Duro Adeyele (SAN), the counsel to Governor Uba Sani argued that the written addresses of Ashiru and PDP were incompetent, and a violation of the law.”
“My submission is that filling three seperate addresses is an abuse of the court process. The only alternative left for the petitioners is to pick one out of the three.”
Lead Counsel to Ashiru and PDP, Iyamu however urged the tribunal to discontinuance the applications of the respondents, saying their claims were not supported by any law.
The Tribunal,upon adoption of the final written addresses by all parties,adjourned for final judgement, to a date that shall be communicated to the counsels to the petitioners and respondents respectively.
Source: Vanguard