A witness in the hearing of the petition filed by Senator Dino Melaye, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the November 2019 Kogi West Senatorial election has told the State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting g in Abuja, that he acted on hearsay report after result from his polling unit was declared.
According to the witness, Ibrahim Jimoh, Ijumu Ward Collation agent, he said he was not at the venue of the declaration of result after votes were counted.
He said he relied on the report of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after the election.
But according to electoral laws, party agents must be available when results and counted before its is declared.
Jimoh told the Justice Isa Sambo led tribunal sitting at the federal high court in Abuja, that that he was not available when reault s were counted but relied on INEC report.
When asked by Dr. Oladapo Otitoju, counsel to the respondent in the petition, Senator Smart Adeyemi, if the ballot papers were counted in his presence, he said no, adding that he relied on INEC report and what other agents told him
According to him, election went on peacefully without violence.
When asked how he got to the result he said, ”I was not there. I was not on ground. Yes, It was the second agent that came to tell me the figure”.
Another witness, Ademola Samuel, a farmer, after adopting his statement on oath as evidence before the tribunal also said the election was without violence.
Samuel told the tribunal that he examined the results after the election but when asked to shed more light on his analysis of the examination ofbtge results, he said he acted on what he was told.
Further sitting of the tribunal has been adjourned to April 20,/2020.