The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Tuesday closed its presentation of oral witnesses at the ongoing Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
The tribunal is hearing a petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate, Abba Kabir-Yusuf, challenging the victory of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the March 9 governorship election in the state.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the INEC was set to present 44 witnesses as contained in its reply to the petition.
The electoral body, however, presented only three out the 44 witnesses and closed its defense.
Sources within the agency said that closing the defense witnesses became necessary for fear of unknown.
The already-presented witnesses include Idris Muhammad, the Electoral Officer in Dala local government.
who was previously accused of receiving a gratification through allocation of a plot of land by the Ganduje administration few weeks before the governorship election.
The second witness was Muhammad D. Isma’il, the Electoral Officer of Nasarawa local government area who coordinated the first election of 9th March, 2019.
Third witness was Halima Sambo Hassan, an Electoral officer in charge of Ungoggo Local Government who was transferred to coordinate the rerun election in Gama, Nasarawa local government area of the state.
During cross-examination, Mrs Sambo-Hassan asserted that the March 23 supplementary election in Gama Ward of Nasarawa local government was conducted free, fair and credible.
She stated that the commission had contacted State Security Services, SSS, the Police and Civil Defence to regenerate the result of Gama before the rerun.
Mrs Sambo-Hassan, however, exonerated herself from the decision to cancel the 207 polling units, including the said Gama Ward which gave INEC the reason to conduct a supplementary election.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Halima Shamaki-Muhammad adjourned the sitting till Wednesday August 21, where the counsel to the second respondent Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is expected to open defense.
