The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal 4 sitting in Umuahia, Abia State has admitted in evidence documents alleging that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has discrepancies in his credentials.
They were tendered by the Labour Party candidate in the February 25 National Assembly poll, Frank Chinasa, on Thursday.
The election was for Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State.
Chinasa also testified as a star witness before the Hon. Justice Samson Gang-led three-member panel.
Some of the documents tendered by Chinasa’s Lead Counsel, Yunus Usman (SAN), included Kalu’s birth certificate, West African School Certificate, first degree certificate issued by the University of Calabar and National Youth Service Corps certificate.
Usman argued that while some of the Certified True Copies of the documents deposed to bore Osisiogu Benjamin Okezie, others bore Kalu Benjamin Okezie and Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu.
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After his submission, the tribunal admitted all the nine documents and marked them as exhibits.
However, Kelvin Nwufo (SAN), Counsel for Kalu, objected to the admissibility of the documents as exhibits, but said he would give reasons for his objection in his final written address.
Also, Counsels for the All Progressives Congress and Independent National Electoral Commission, Vigilus Nwankwo and Ogochukwu Onyekwulije respectively, objected to the admissibility of the documents.
They promised to adduce their reasons for their objections in their final written addresses.
The tribunal also admitted in evidence the result of the election, which the petitioners alleged was manipulated by INEC in favour of Kalu and APC.
Chinasa alleged that INEC awarded him 6,898 votes and 10,020 votes to Kalu.
He also tendered a copy of his protest letter to INEC, alleging a manipulation of the election result, which was also admitted as exhibit.
Responding under cross-examination, Chinasa said that he was not aware of the harmonisation of Kalu’s names.
He also denied knowledge of a High Court judgment confirming the said harmonisation.
He further told the tribunal that he did not obtain the CTCs of the documents tendered “individually” but “summarily”.
The matter was later adjourned to Saturday when Kalu is expected to give his defence and face cross-examination.
In another development, the tribunal admitted in evidence the deposition by the Action Alliance candidate in the election, Ifeanyi Igbokwe, that his party’s name and logo were excluded from the ballot.
A CTC of the party’s protest letter to INEC on the exclusion was tendered in evidence by its National Secretary, Ambassador Suleiman Abdulrasheed, and admitted as exhibit.
Suleiman told the tribunal that a Federal High Court, Abuja had in a judgment in suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1759/2022, delivered on November 4, 2022 ordered INEC to upload and publish Igbokwe’s name as the validly nominated AA candidate, but INEC allegedly declined to do so.