CPC Calls Four Witnesses

The second day of legal tackles at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja resumed on Tuesday with the adoption of depositions by four witnesses out of the long list of witnesses which the petitioner, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, had indicated to call upon in their quest to prove that the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, was wrong in declaring President Goodluck Jonathan as winner of last April’s Presidential election.

Mr. Rotimi Fashaki, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, told the court that he was the team leader of a Committee set up by the CPC which analyzed the result of the Presidential election.

Upon cross examination by President Jonathan’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), on whether the CPC had any elected Governor or members of the National or states Assemblies prior to last April’s Presidential election, Mr Fashaki stated that the CPC had members at the National Assembly who had won their elections then but conceded that they had not then been inaugurated.

Fashaki also fielded questions from the Peoples Democratic Party represented by Joe Kyari Gadzama (SAN) who wanted to know when the CPC was formed. Fashaki told the court that his party, CPC, was formed on the 28th of December, 2009 when it was issued certificate by the electoral umpire. Attempts by Gadzama to point out to the witness that a party which was only formed in late 2009 and without any sitting political office holder cannot match a ruling party which controls the nation at the national level and at about 27 states of the federation then was resisted by CPC’s lawyers.

Another witness, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed Korau, the Assistant Secretary of CPC Kaduna state chapter while adopting his deposition told the court that he was the party’s roving poling agent who went round all the poling units within the Southern Kaduna section of the state and monitored the election at the poling units.

On cross examination by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the lawyer representing INEC, on whether he voted at the election, Mr. Korau answered in the negative.

Chief Olanipekun sought to know if Mr. Korau was accredited by INEC to be a roving polling agent. The Kaduna state CPC Assistant Secretary said he was not accredited as such by the electoral umpire but that his party gave him authorization to move from one polling unit to another on that Presidential election day.

He also confirmed that his party, the CPC, has polling unit agents in all the polling units in that section of the state where the CPC is contesting all the results from there. He also confirmed that from the result announced by INEC, that CPC secured 1,334,244 votes against PDP’s 1,190,179 votes.

Soon after the cross examination of Mr. Korau, CPC sought for an adjournment to enable the party prepare the other witnesses for their testimonies and the court adjourned to tomorrow, Wednesday.

With Tuesday’s proceedings out of the way, CPC has only Eight more days to prove its allegation that the last Presidential election was fraught with irregularities and rigging.

—Nnamdi Felix / Abuja