From Tony Osauzo, Benin

Witnesses in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the September 28 2016 Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, yesterday testified at the election petition tribunal,  reiterating his call on the tribunal to declare him as the rightful winner of the poll.

The PDP candidate and first petitioner in the suit, while giving evidence during resumption of hearing of his petition, told the Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led tribunal that he scored the highest number of votes in the election which was held in 2,629 polling units in the state.

Confirming that he swore to an oath on four documents which he adopted as his testimony in the case, Ize-Iyamu said: “I want the tribunal to declare me as the winner of the election, having scored the majority votes.”

He said though he was not sure about the number of polling units for which Obaseki was declared winner, he did not challenge the outcome of the poll based on the 2,629 polling units.

According to him, most of his deposition at the tribunal were completely based on documents concerning what he saw on the result sheets and voter registers provided by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and pursuant to the order of the tribunal.

Cross-examined by counsel to Obaseki, Ken Mozia (SAN), Ize-Iyamu told the tribunal that he was in his unit throughout the election, adding that his claims in his petition could not be described as false as he could not remember the polling units in the 18 local government areas of the state.

Also testifying for the petitioners, another witness, Anthony Lawani, told the tribunal during cross-examination that there was an alleged incident of over-voting in one of the wards in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.

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Lawani, under cross-examination by INEC counsel, Onyinye Anumonye, said he was a polling agent, and that he was in his unit from the beginning to the end of voting.

Accused of alleged falsehood when he said he monitored the exercise in all the wards in Akoko-Edo by the INEC counsel, the witness said he monitored the election through phone calls.

He claimed that identify card given to him by INEC permitted him to make phone calls, rather than move around for monitoring, adding that he did not state the scores of the remaining political parties that fielded candidates for the election, aside the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP.

Lawani, who earlier identified himself as a management consultant, however caused a stir at the tribunal when he asked if he could respond in pidgin English. 

“I am sorry my lord. Can I speak broken (English), he asked when Mozia raised concern about his use of the English language.

Lawani, who also claimed to be an accountant, said he had never made a mathematical blunder, as an accountant when asked to compute some figures. 

At the time of filing this report, Lawani was still under cross-examination at the tribunal.