Tension in Anambra As Election Tribunal Reads NASS Verdict

Photo: Victor Umeh Vs Senator Uche Ekwunife

*Panel fixes Sept 11, 2015 for final Briefs*

Palpable tension could be felt everywhere in Awka as the Elections Petitions Tribunal 1 sitting in Awka and presided over by a three-man panel led by Justice Nayai Agadagba reads its judgment in some of its National Assembly tomorrow morning.

This was coming one month after most of the petitioners and defendants submitted their final written and oral addresses.

Top among the matters scheduled for verdict tomorrow includes that of the immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh Vs Senator Uche Ekwunife of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that of the petition brought by Mr Dozie Nwankwo (APGA) against the declaration of Dr Okey Eze for the Njikoka/Dunukofia/Anaocha Federal Constituency seat in the March 28, 2015 elections.

Nwankwo had in his objection to the declaration of Dr Eze as winner of the poll dragged the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Eze and the PDP before the tribunal seeking nullification of the declaration and to order his return as the actual winner. He presented witnesses to buttress his point while Eze and the INEC presented none.

In their closing presentation, the counsel to INEC, Mr Chukwudubem Anyigbo told the tribunal that they had no witness and were therefore relying on the evidence enunciated from cross-examinations.

Later when the respondent, Dr Eze took the stand to defend his case, he also caused uproar in court when his counsels said they had no witnesses and was relying also on the testimonies from its cross examinations.

Incidentally, the PDP yesterday toed same line, thereby drawing the petition’s presentation of witnesses to a close, pending only the final briefs. Tribunal watchers described the situation as ‘a clear way out of a very bad case’.

From Moses Dom

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