Both the PDP and Mr Mbah objected to the admissibility of the documents.
An Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff member, Emmanuel Damis, on Tuesday, appeared before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal as a subpoenaed witness and tendered Governor Peter Mbah’s qualifications
Mr Damis, Petitioner’s Witness three, works at the Legal Drafting and Clearance Department, INEC headquarters, Abuja.
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is hearing the petition filed by Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party against Mr Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Edeoga is asking the tribunal to disqualify Mr Mba for allegedly forging his NYSC certificate.
When the subpoenaed witness came into the witness box to tender the documents on the evidence, the counsel to the second and third respondents objected to the tendering of documents and refused the counsel to the petitioner, Eyitayo Fatogun, to re-examine the witness.
The INEC staff then tendered Mr Mbah’s certificates which he submitted alongside his governorship nomination form.
According to the witness, the documents with him are Form EC9 and all the attachments, for the PDP governorship candidate in Enugu State.
The LP counsel applied to tender the documents as exhibits which were admitted by the tribunal as evidence.
However, the petitioners’ counsel, Mr Fatogun, equally cited a plethora of cases which he said justified the evidence of the subpoenaed witness.
Both the PDP and Mr Mbah objected to the admissibility of the documents. They, however, reserved their objections for the written address.
The counsel to the respondents objected to his evidence on the grounds that a witness must first swear to a witness deposition on oath, citing several authorities to back up their argument.
Meanwhile, during the cross-examination of the witness by the PDP’s counsel, Alex Iziyon, on the membership register of the LP submitted to the commission before the election, Mr Damis could not identify Mr Edeoga’s name as the Isiuzo LGA was not found in the list by the subpoenaed witness.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, M K Akano, said that a ruling on the objections raised by the respondents would be considered alongside the judgement.
Mr Akano adjourned the case till 12 July for the continuation of the hearing.
(NAN)