Three witnesses presented by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has told the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that the polls were well conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The trio of Grace Ajagbonna, Abidemi Joseph and Obosa Edosa informed the court that they were engaged as ad-hoc staff by INEC and served as presiding officers in Kogi, Niger and Edo states.
Ajagbonna, Joseph and Edosa confirmed that the whole election process went well in their states and they are in accordance with elections rules and regulations.
Led in evidence by the petitioners’ lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), Ajagbonna – the 14th witness of the petitioners – adopted her written statement, which was admitted by the court despite objection.
Under cross-examination by counsel to INEC, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), Ajagbonna said she accredited voters, using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) device, and complied with all the instructions issued by INEC to ad hoc staff during their training.
Ajagbonna noted that the accredition and the process went well confirming that she collated the results and recorded them in form of EC8A by herself noting that the party agents also signed the results sheets.
Ajagbonna noted that all other aspects of the election process also went well except the transmission of the presidential election result.
Under cross-examination by the lawyer to President Bola Tinubu, Yusuf Ali (SAN), Ajagbonna disclosed that all the party agents signed the Form EC8A before she took the picture with the BVAS device and later submitted it at the Ward Collation Centre.
While being cross-examined by lawyer to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Ajagbonna said by their training, no election official or party agent was expected to leave his/her duty post during the election.
Edosa on her part said the election process went well but for her inability to upload the result at her polling unit.
Under cross examination by Olujinmi, Edosa, like the other previous witnesses, said it was their first time using the BVAS device since their pre-assignment training by INEC.
At the conclusion of Edosa’s testimony, Uche applied for adjournment, which lawyers to the respondents supported.
