A’Ibom gov poll: Umana opens testimony at tribunal Tuesday

AUGUST 17, 2015 : OUR CORRESPONDENT
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The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in
Akwa Ibom State in the April 11 election, Umana Umana, will
begin his testimony before the state Governorship Election
Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday.
Speaking on Monday in a statement on his scheduled
appearance at the tribunal, Umana said the prosecution would
also be presenting its key witnesses in the course of the tribunal
sitting in subsequent days.
He added that the forensic team, which inspected elections
materials used for the polls, would be among those to testify
before the tribunal.
Umana, the former Secretary to the State Government, is
challenging the declaration of Governor Emmanuel Udom, the
Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the April election, by the
Independent National Electoral Petition, as the winner of the poll.
He said this week, his legal team will also be moving what he
called a ‘riped motion’ for extension of time to present additional
witnesses.
In the statement, the APC governorship candidate expressed his
readiness to testify, maintaining his earlier position that the said
election did not hold in the state.
“Even in my own polling unit, there was no election. So, I and my
supporters were denied the opportunity of casting our votes.
The same thing happened in other parts of the state. The
election materials were carted away even before the process
commenced,” he said.
Umana disclosed that APC would also tender INEC register for
all polling units in the state and the Card Reader “to prove that
elections did not hold in the state”.
The PDP and INEC are expected to open their defence after the
petitioners would have concluded their arguments.
Umana lamented that efforts were made to destroy evidence in
the case.
He added, “Someone directed that the booklets of ballot papers
used during the sham election be unbounded and detached into
single ballot papers to show that that they were actually used for
voting, which was not the case.
“Infact, the exercise commenced with the detachment of
booklets used for Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of the state
before the information leaked. And when that happened,
supporters of the APC mobilised to the INEC office, where they
sighted people running out of the premises upon their arrival.
“Before a team of policemen and DSS operatives arrived the
premises, the culprits had escaped, reportedly on a tip-off by
compromised police officers assigned to the premises. Our
forensic team was also frustrated during inspection exercise; as
most of the election materials were destroyed. Some people
went as far as pouring water on the materials.
“No matter what they do, we have adequate evidence to prove
that no election held. Our people were on the ground, so
everything that transpired was recorded. I am optimistic that
with what we have, we will win at the tribunal.”