Kogi Guber Petition Tribunal Adjourns Hearing Amid Contradictory Witness Testimonies

The Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has adjourned its proceedings until April 1st following contradictory testimonies from witnesses of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, made the decision after six witnesses from the SDP gave evidence and were cross-examined by the defence counsel.

During the hearing, the witnesses’ testimonies contradicted their earlier depositions on oath. They admitted to not being polling agents as stipulated by law but rather voters.

Yakubu Dahiru, the 10th prosecution witness, acknowledged discrepancies between his claims and depositions.

He explained that he suffered from an eye problem for about a year but claimed to have written his witness deposition.

Another witness, Isah AbdulGaniu from Okene Local Government Area, revealed that he was not an SDP member or a polling agent, contrary to his previous claims. He also denied knowledge of Form DCE-41, which was part of his deposition.

Several witnesses either denied averments in their depositions or attributed mistakes to dictation by their lawyers. Some claimed they crammed their statements before appearing at the tribunal.

Despite their petitions showing the names of the petitioners, petition numbers, and lawyers’ names, some witnesses claimed ignorance of the petitioners and their lawyers.

After the 6th witness concluded his evidence, the petitioners’ lawyer, Pius Akubo, SAN, requested an adjournment, leading to the tribunal’s decision to adjourn until April 1st.

Representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Usman Ododo, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) were present at the hearing.

The witnesses from Okene Local Government Area who testified were Isa Abdulganiyu, Aliyu Musari Abdul, Ohieku Rebeka, Abdulsalam Baki, Yakubu Dahiru, and Ibrahim Majeed.