Some witnesses told the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja on Monday that election did not hold in their units in Ekeremo Local Government Area of the State.
Sincomoh Tamaraugoubra told the tribunal that although no election was held in her unit 2, she was surprised to hear results announced and a winner declared.
Tamaraugoubra said she came to the tribunal to testify to the fact that she wanted to vote, but could not because election was not conducted on December 6 as scheduled.
She said: “I was not subpoenaed to come here.
“I came on my own.
“Although I did not see any result sheet, I heard results being announced in the various media outlets.”
Another witness, Angozide Ediaemefa, told the tribunal that election materials were not brought to her polling unit.
Ediaemefa said she complained to her party, the All Progressives Congress, over the phone that no materials were brought to the unit.
Francis Bosco also told the tribunal that there was no election in his unit and so he and some other voters protested to the police.
Bosco further told the tribunal that he was surprised that results were declared even though election did not hold.
Kemes Oyatan, another witness, also told the tribunal that he did not see officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission to complain to as there was no election in his unit.
Oyatan said that he, along with other voters, protested, demanding that the election materials be brought for them to cast their vote.
He further said he was shocked that even though election did not hold, results were announced by INEC.
Perekibina Bariweni, the Collation Officer for Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, however, told the tribunal that a conclusive election was conducted on January 9 in the state.
Bariweni said it was the results of the election of January 9 that declared Seriake Dickson as governor of Bayelsa State.
According to him, there was no result for the election of December 6.
He also told the tribunal that INEC had shifted the election from December 5 to 6, but that on December 7, he was informed by his Electoral Officer that the election had been cancelled.
He said: “I was not part of the decision that shifted the election.
“I was only informed by my EO that it was cancelled.
“On December 6, I waited for results to come to the local government from the ward, but no results arrived because they were still being collated at ward level.
“I left and went to my temporary accommodation because the various stakeholders agreed that we commence collation the following morning.”
Paul Okapikpi, the APC Polling Agent at unit 18 ward 2 of Ekeremo Local Government, said the election of January 9 was conducted freely and fairly and that in his unit, INEC officials and polling agents were all present.
Okapikpi, however, said he was at the tribunal because even though elections were peaceful, INEC cancelled the results.
He said: “There are 35 polling units in Ekeremo Ward and in the results declared in my unit, APC was declared winner.
“There was no violence on January 9 and my party submitted my name as the agent, so as the agent, I saw the result and I signed.”
The tribunal began sitting on May 2 at the Court of Appeal premises, having relocated from its previous Nyanya location.
NAN also reports that so far, only the petitioner’s witnesses have been called to testify.
Witnesses were called by the petitioner’s counsel, Sebastine Hon.
They are testifying in the petition filed by the APC and its governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva.
Sylva is praying the tribunal to declare him winner of the Bayelsa State governorship election based on the result of December 6, 2015 election, which INEC declared inconclusive.
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