Plateau : Exhibits Tendered Before Tribunal Disppears
By Moses Gbande
National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal seating in Jos, the Plateau state capital, was on wednesday thrown in the state of confusion following the glides of exhits that floods its table from the petitioners.
This happens during the opening of hearing in the petition brought before it by the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Hon. David Shikfu Paradang who is challenging the election of Hon. Hezechiah Dimka of the All Progressives Congress, APC as duely elected Senator for Plateau Centtal Senatorial Dusttict.
During the session, Counsel to petitioners, Sunday Oyewole said the documents sought to tender were 89 exhibits comprising of forms EC8A(1) and EC8B(1).The exhibits includes Certified Trough Copies as well as duplicates forms of INEC result forms of about 90 pulling units across the five local governments in Plateau state.
Forms EC8B1 and Form EC8A1 were all tendered and accepted by the tribunal, even as the counsel to defendants try to objects.
There was a stand down to enable the clerk serially mark the exhibits for easy identification during the proceedings.
However, on returns from the stand down, the session witnessed what could have been described as a set back to the petitioners, following the sudden declaration of some missing exhibits.
This, the tribunal explained happened while trying to sort out the exhibits, stressing that it realized that either some of the Exhibits were mixed up or two documents were matked the same.Adding that, duplicate copies of a ward in Mangu, Bokkos and one other were completely missing.The petitioners,’counsel S. Oyewale was little some how wortied but assured the ttibunal that he has no cause ti reglet, owing that he has enough evidences to rely on, and the tribunal should progress.The tribunal however ruled that exhibits that couldn’t be found were how ever expungedIt would recall Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Hon. David Shikfu Paradang in the February 2019 general elections contested the senate sest for plateau central senatorial seat against Hon. Hezechiah Dimka of APC which at the end of the contest INEC declared APC candidate the winner of the election.
Nasarawa Reporters 