Akwa Ibom Tribunal Refuses To Disqualify APC Witnesses

The Akwa Ibom State governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja has turned down the request to disqualify the All Progressives Congress (APC) witnesses who gave testimonies in the last governorship election in the state.

The tribunal dismissed the request by the governor that all the APC witnesses be disqualified from testifying against him on the grounds that they used their initials instead of their full names in the statements on oath.

The statements are to be used in support of the petition challenging his election as Governor.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Sadiq Umar, while giving ruling on the request by the Governor  said the request was strange and could not be supported by any law.

Justice Umar agreed with the submission of Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), counsel to the petitioner that the witnesses have the right under the law to use their initials or acronym on their statements on oath.

The tribunal held that the Practice Direction formulated by the Court of Appeal, and guiding the procedures of the election petition tribunals clearly allowed the use of initials or acronym in place of the names of the witnesses so as to protect the witnesses from intimidation and harassment by the opposition.

Counsel to the Governor, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN) and Mr Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), for the PDP, had separately raised objections to the statements on oath made by all the APC witnesses on the grounds that their real names were not on the statements but initials and acronyms.

Mr Oyetibo specifically objected to the calling of any witness to adopt statement in oath because according to him, there was no nexus between the statement and the witnesses.

He submitted that the mere use of the initials or acronym should not be allowed by the tribunal to confer the originator on the witnesses since their real names were not printed on the statements.

The counsel also argued that his client would be denied fair hearing, if ghost witnesses whose names are not on the statements on oath were allowed to testify before the tribunal against his client.

In a short ruling, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Sadiq Umar, upheld the argument of the APC and rejected the move to disqualify its witnesses and their statement on oath .

The chairman in response, directed INEC to comply with the earlier order of the tribunal to allow the inspection of the ballot papers and order materials used for the election.