ABEOKUTA – Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Remi Olatubora has disowned two ad-hoc staff of the commission after testifying at the governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
The duo, Ezeajaegbu Desmond, a former corps member and Okitipki Mogbeyi, who were Presiding Officer and Assistant Presiding Officer respectively, testified that unknown thugs disrupted voting in their various polling units.
Desmond, who served at Polling Unit 0012, Ward 6, Makun Sagamu, said during cross-examination that thugs attacked his polling unit and set electoral materials on fire.
Desmond explained that his INEC reflective jacket was also burnt, saying “I was able to escape with the BVAS machine only. We were trained to let go of materials if attacked.”
According to the INEC ad hoc staff, about 50 persons had voted before the hoodlums stormed the polling station with weapons and eventually burnt all voting materials.
While cross-examining Desmond, the INEC counsel, Remi Olatubora denied him, saying he was never an INEC Presiding Officer.
According to the counsel, Desmond was supposed to contact INEC before appearing at the tribunal, even though the subpoena was addressed to him.
Olatubora, who appeared unfriendly with the witness he described as the first to testify against his client, said: “You were never a Presiding Officer, you are an arranged witness; a procured witness, a suborn witness. You were paid to testify for PDP.”
But, Desmond insisted that he was a Presiding Officer, tendering an evidence of the money paid to him by the electoral umpire and denying having been paid by the PDP to be a witness at the tribunal.
Also, Mogbeyi told the tribunal that her polling unit was attacked by unknown political thugs, who disrupted voting.
Mogbeyi said she did not report the incident to the police because security agents also witnessed the invasion.
She denied being paid by the PDP to testify, saying ”I honoured the subpoena because I didn’t want to go to jail. It was addressed to me personally, not INEC.”
