…tenders Card Reader Report

…insists accredited voters , failed authentication must tally with total votes cast

…No election held,  Chief Sunny Ibanga, others,  tell tribunal

The Hon Justice Goddy Anunihu led Akwa Ibom State National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the Customary Court,  Dutsen Alhaji , Abuja on Monday received as exhibit the Card Reader Report used for the conduct of the March 28, 2015 Akwa Ibom North West senatorial election.?Also tendered before the tribunal was a copy of the Approved Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2015 General Election.

The documents which were admitted without any objection from Counsel to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents and marked exibit B19 and B20, were tendered by a staff from INEC’s ICT Department who was subpoenaed by the tribunal . She explained that  exhibit B19, being the Card Reader Report, originated from the data base of the data received from the Smart Card Reader Device used for the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial election.

Explaining the technical information of the document, the INEC staff said the content of the report was the total number of accredited voters and the total number of failed accreditation which must tally with the total number of voters in the said election. The witness said it is only when the fingerprint authentication fails that an incidence form can be issued and filled. Total number of failed accreditation must be reflected in the failed column section of the document, the witness stated.

Attempt by counsel to the 3rd respondent, J.O.Ogunjobi  to stop the witness from clarifying the technical details of the document so tendered was overruled by the tribunal. Ogunjobi had objected that allowing the witness answer the question as posed to her by counsel to the petitioner Assam Assam (SAN) amounts to the petitioners counsel cross examining the witness. INEC’s counsel, S. N. Mbaezue declined cross examining the subpoenaed INEC staff.

Also testifying against Akpabio was a former chieftain of the PDP and ex Chairman of PDP chapter chairmen in Akwa Ibom state, Chief Sunny Ibanga who told the tribunal that no election took place in Ikot Ekpene LGA and that no collation of results ever took place in the senatorial district, explaining that  the purported results as declared were fabricated. “The results as declared by INEC is not a true reflection of what happened”, he declared.

He explained that as Senatorial district collation agent, his job was to supervise the collation of results emanating from the Polling Units, Wards and the ten Local Government Area’s of the senatorial district but regretted that nothing of such ever happened, expressing shock and disbelief on the votes allegedly declared for the respective political parties and their candidates that participated in the March 28, 2015 senatorial election.

A total of eleven witnesses have so far testified against Akpabio. The case was adjourned to Wednesday, August 4, 2015 for continuation of trial.