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By Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi, Kaduna.
During a cross examination of witnesses at the ongoing governorship election tribunal in Kaduna on Monday, a witness has testified that there was over voting of 100 votes in his polling unit.
The witness by name, Haruna Abubakar who adopted his deposition as his evidence before Justice Victor Oviawe led panel explained that seven hundred voters were accredited, while eight hundred votes were counted at the conclusion of the election.
Abubakar who is a businessman told the court that after he voted, he stayed back but, after the counting, the election result was not announced at the polling unit as prescribed by the Electoral Act.
Though, when asked by the counsel to INEC, Alhassan Umar , if the witness could recall the number of valid and rejected votes, he said: “know”.
Similarly, Hauwa Hussaini who was also a witness at the court said that she was at her polling unit on the day of election at exactly 8:45 pm to cast her vote.
“After I was duly accredited at the polling unit, I cast my vote and I stayed back until the votes were counted,” she said.
The witness, when asked, during the cross examination by the counsels to the respondents that how can she determine over voting, she further said: ” over voting is when the number of votes is more than the accredited voters.”
Another witness, Lantana Mikaila who made her deposition before the court on the 18th of July, 2023 told the court that the election process was peaceful at the early stage but, later there was disorderliness.
However, at the resumed hearing today ( 24th July, 2023), the petitioners; candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Isa Ashiru and his party called five witnesses to give their testimonies of over voting in their respective polling units.
The court adjourned the case to 25th July, 2023 to further cross examine other witnesses.