The Cross River election tribunal, which is hearing a petition from Ben Ayade, the state’s former governor, who is challenging the winner of the Cross River North senatorial election, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, has reduced the number of witnesses ready to testify in favor of the winner from 500 to 33.
The tribunal, presided over by Justice M. A. Sambo and comprised of Justices C. Akabua and J. Zululu, had previously admitted the respondents’ proffered exhibits as evidence. These included certified authentic copies of INEC results.
Jarigbe’s legal team, led by Mba Ukweni, SAN, also produced certified copies of IREV and hard copies of Form EC8A1 (result sheets) to further defend his victory.
Addressing reporters after the sitting, Ukweni said: “We had over 500 witnesses, but the tribunal said we should call a maximum of 33 witnesses, but there are many people who are very anxious to testify.
“It took us time to persuade them. That [is why] many of them are not on the list, and they said they want to come and defend their mandate.”
Speaking further, he said: “There was no document they (petitioners) tendered to show
that the result was rigged. What they were merely trying to do was tender declaration of the result, which is Form EC8E1.”
He explained that the petitioner was trying to show that the names of other candidates who lost were not on the declaration of results list.
Former Governor Ayade, the petitioner, represented by Mike Ozekhome, SAN, had presented witnesses and tendered some documents too.
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