Governorship tribunal: Gombe APC accuses INEC of conniving with PDP

Gombe State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state of conniving with the ruling PDP to sabotage its efforts at the tribunal.

Challenging the re-election of  Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwabo  as governor in the last governorship election, the APC, through its lawyers  demanded that the ballot papers used for the election be recounted.  The request was however not granted as the tribunal set aside the petitioner’s prayers.

Citing two authorities to buttress his ruling, the tribunal chairman held that no matter how eloquently rendered the written address of the petitioner was, it cannot take the place of evidence.

Speaking, counsel to the first respondent, Isiyaku Ibrahim (SAN), said: “We had cause to apply to the tribunal to set aside an earlier order of recount which was obtained experte.

They were the only ones that moved the motion and the tribunal granted them without hearing us. But  when we brought a motion for that order to be  set aside, the tribunal agreed with us that we must be heard before such an order could be made.

“After that,  they brought an application to say  that they wanted us to be heard so that the tribunal would grant the order for a re-count but we said no. The tribunal cannot give an order on documents that are not before it because the documents are supposed to be tendered before the tribunal can give an order for a re-count.”

Counsel to the petitioner, Mr Niyi Akintola (SAN) expressed hope that the results they are presently tendering would open up some revelation, believing in the ability of the tribunal to deliver justice in the matter.

He regretted that after paying over N11 million to INEC for the release of all the documents needed for the verification of claims, the office of commissions Head of Operations claimed it  was not authorised to produce them.

Speaking to newsmen in Gombe, the party’s secretary, Alhaji Sallau Manu Pindiga, lamented that INEC, which  according to him, should  to be fair to both sides, was crying more than the bereaved.