Melaye: I visited 564 polling units on election day

Melaye and his party are at the National/State Assemblies Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Smart Adeyemi.

Testifying at the tribunal, led by Justice Isa Sambo, Melaye claimed to have been everywhere on the election day.

Melaye, while being cross-examined by Adeyemi’s lawyer, Oladapo Otitoju, insisted that the election was marred by irregularities.

When asked if he was aware of the testimonies earlier given by some of his agents, to the effect that there was no violence during the election, among others, Melaye said his agents cannot speak for him as he also cannot speak for his agents.

On how he got the information about his claim of irregularities in the election, as claimed in the petition, Melaye said: ” I was everywhere on the election day in the 564 units.”

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When asked to identify the polling unit in which he voted and the result of the election at the polling unit, Melaye said he could not recall. The PDP candidate added that he was not aware that result was recorded in his polling unit.

Otitoju then handed a copy of the result sheet from the polling unit where Melaye claimed to have voted to him to read. But, Melaye declined to read it, claiming thati he could not see it clearly because his reading glasses got broken when the tribunal went on a short break.

Another witness, Mark Samuel, a lawyer, was prevented from giving evidence before the tribunal because his statement was not pleaded as additional witness in the petition. Samuel also failed to attach his seal, as a lawyer, to the statement.

When he was called, Otitoju objected to his being allowed to give evidence as a witness in the petition in view of the irregularities he identified in Samuel’s statement.

The tribunal adjourned further proceedings till today.