Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday tendered documents at the Nasarawa State governorship election tribunal in respect of PDP governorship candidate, David Umbugadu, who is challenging re-election of Governor Abdullahi Sule in the March 18 election.
INEC insisted Sule won the election having polled majority of votes against the PDP candidate, .
The tribunal, on July 10, subpoenaed INEC through an application by the petitioners to produce documents relating to the election.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, a director of ICT department of the commission, Salimon Abbas, who acted as PW5, tendered his ID card, letter of authority, Certificate of Compliance, Certified True Copies (CTCs), voters register, final declaration results at polling units and wards levels of some disputed polling units and wards results.
All the documents as presented by INEC at the tribunal were in favour of Governor Abdullahi Sule as the authentic winner of the election conducted on march 18th 2023.
However, Mr Abbas did not tender the screenshots of the state Bi-Modal Verification Accreditation on the basis that they BIVAS needs to be reactivated because the management of the commission in Abuja had instructed the head of ICT in Nasarawa to pull out the serial number of the BIVAS and forward it to the vendor for reactivation and promise to make them available before the tribunal next week.
Another INEC sopheana, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim who appeared as PW6 works in the operations department of the commission tendered all documents relating to the conduct of the Governorship election in Azara council ward in Awe local government and it was all admitted as exhibit.
Lead council to PDP J S Okutakpa SAN led the team of lawyers to demand for the relevant documents from the INEC sopheana.
After tendering all relevant documents as expected which shows Governor Sule scoring majority of the votes in the disputed areas, the tribunal chairman Justice Ezekiel Oyeyemi Ajayi fix July 14th for the continuation of more documents.
INEC returning officer for the march 18th Governorship election, Prof Tanko Ishaya had declared that Abdullahi Sule of the APC garnered 347,209 to beat his closest contender, David Umbugadu of the PDP who got 283, 016 votes.
The PDP Governorship candidate, David Umbugadu is at the tribunal challenging the victory of Governor Abdullahi Sule
