Niger Top News

Accreditation is compulsory, counsel tells Akwa Ibom tribunal

The Akwa Ibom State  governorship tribunal resumed Thursday for the  adoption of final written addresses by parties.

Candidate for the All Progressive Congress, Umana Umana, had approached the tribunal challenging conduct of the election  and declaration  of Udom Emmanuel, as winner.
At the sitting, counsel to the petitioner, Wole Olanikpekun SAN,  told the tribunal that the alleged election was alien to mankind. He insisted that the election was not in acccordance with the Electoral Act.
He said in the course of trial, he tendered 360 documentary evidence and called 52 witnesses.
He said while paragraphs 8, 9, 11, 12 and 14 dealt with accreditation, 16 and 17 dealt with collation while 24- 29 dealt with result.
Adopting his address, Olanikpekun,  prayed the tribunal to allow the petition and grant all reliefs sought therein.
He insisted that accreditation is compulsory in an election; be it through the use of Card Reader or Option A4.
“Accreditation is a must in any election. Which accreditation did they use in this particular exercise when they failed to tender Incident Forms”, he said.
He told the tribunal that the petitioner’s case was misrepresented, as the election allegedly