From Chuks Onuoha and Felix Olunkwa, Umuahia.
FORMER Governor of Abia State and the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) candidate in the Abia North senatorial rerun election, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has said he will not abandon the mandate, freely given him by constituents of Abia North senatorial district in the March 5, 2016 rerun poll.
He said this after an eight hour testimony before the tribunal in Umuahia , Abia State.
Kalu, who refused to take seat at first, insisted he was as fit as fiddle was eventually urged to sit down by the judges after about three hours into his presentation.
That was when it became clear to every one that the backlog of documentary evidence he tendered would take a long time to conclude.
His testimony started with the tendering of polling units results from Umuanneochi, Ohafia, Bende, Umuimenyi, etc.
He also tendered charge sheets of those who committed electoral fraud in favour of his opponents who were arrested and charged to court by security operatives and others. It took the tribunal over eight hours to tidy up the documents by numbering them for easy reference and identification in future legal matters.
Kalu who stepped into the witness box at exactly 9.3oam stepped down by 5.30pm after he had been thoroughly drilled by the respondent’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) counterpart who cross-examined him on the documents he tendered to the tribunal as evidence to prove that he truly won the rerun election.
Kalu told newsmen after his testimony that, if his efforts to reclaim the mandate given to him by his people would cause him his life, he would not mind as long as he is pitting tent with the people of Abia North who trooped out freely to vote for him.
“Sometimes, when I reflect on the way and manner my opponents forcefully snatched the mandate of the people, I feel like shedding tears. It shows love and if I keep quiet about it, posterity will not forgive me because it will amount to disappointing those who love me.
“I did not tell them that I am giving evidence today but they abandoned everything. That tells you I am with them. You can see how the how the crowd is reacting to my presence here. Some of them did not even eat or drink before coming here, yet, they are happy. Who can abandon such love? I am only advising my people to have hope because the judges are determine to record the proceeding well and, I am sure they will not deny us the victory which rightly belongs to us when the time comes.”