By: Valentine Adese (JP),
The National/State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Jos, Plateau State, today the 21/6/2023 has been told that, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nominations and sponsorship in the just concluded general elections were invalid.
Engr. Fom Dalyop Chollom, while under Cross Examination in Petition No: EPT/PL/HR/2023, which he filed challenging INEC over the conduct of the House of Representatives election for Barkin-ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency of Plateau State, also told the Tribunal that, he was shocked to see the PDP on the ballot paper.
Also today, the Petition filed by the former governor of Plateau State, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, who is challenging INEC over the conduct of the Senatorial election for Plateau South Senatorial District and the declared victory of Sen. Napoleon Binkan Bali also came up.
At the hearing of the Petition No: EPT/PL/SEN/02/2023, filed by the former governor of Plateau State, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, the Petitioners’ Counsel, Prof. Olatoke (SAN), leading Edward Pwajok (SAN), and other 3 Lawyers, tendered Hundreds of CTCs from the Bar, from polling units to declared senatorial results to registers, among other documents.
Earlier, before the Examination-in-Chief, Counsel to Fom Chollom, Edward Pwajok (SAN), had tendered over 8 Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents, which included Judgments from the Plateau State High Courts to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in which the PDP is a party among other documents, which INEC told the Court it would vehemently object to.
Engineer Dalyop in the Cross-Examination by the Respondent Counsels in the Petition, told the Tribunal that, “Before I left the PDP, I am not aware that the party has nominated Peter as its candidate and I have never seen any case where Peter’s nomination and sponsorship by PDP were invalidated.
“What I stated in my Petition is that, all nominations of the PDP are invalid. My Counsel has that answer.
“I did not go through all the cases, but my Counsel has the right answers. I have not also gone through the PDP constitution because I don’t have it.
“My complaint is about PDP structure and I don’t know if Peter Gyangden is a member of the PDP. I cannot remember the names of those I contest the PDP primary election with.
“I was a candidate in the general election and Peter defeated me with 3776 votes and that is why I am in court today”.
READ WHAT ENGR. DALYOP CHOLLOM TOLD THE TRIBUNAL DURING EXAMINATION-IN CHIEF AND THE CROSS EXAMINATION BY THE RESPONDET COUNSELS IN PART BELOW:-
“I am an Engineer. I live in Barkin-ladi Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State. I am a business man. I can identify my statement under Oath and I can identify it through my signature and this is it. I am therefore relying on the documents tendered including my statement on Oath before the Tribunal. I so adopt my statement and the petition.
“There are over 300 polling units in Barkin-ladi and Riyom LGAs and my party had agents in all the polling units in the two LGs.
“By my paragraphs 22, 23, 24 and 25, of my statement these information were statements I received from the Agents.
“I voted on the Election day. Before I voted, I was duly accredited by INEC officers and they used the BVAS and the Register.
“However, at the end of the election I was not there the agents witnessed the collation and counting of votes. As a person, I did not witness the incidences of cancellations and alterations of votes and INEC did not engage me to monitor elections.
“In my paragraph 25, there is no specific polling unit or collation center where incidences of manipulation or alteration took place that I specifically mentioned, but I got the information from the agents.
“On the 17th of March, 2023, I was already having the CTCs of the registers because it was given to my Counsel. The BVAS report are also with my Counsel. The allegations in my paragraphs 24 and 25 of my statement of over voting are based on the analysis of these two instruments from INEC.
All my agents are alive and apart from the result declared by INEC, I have results with my Counsel. I am also not a staff of INEC.
“I did participated in PDP primary of 22nd May, 2022, but I don’t know if INEC monitored it.
‘’I cannot remember when INEC collected the nomination of Hon. Peter Gyangden. My agents signed all the results declared by INEC.
“I am a card carrying member of the PDP, but I cannot remember when I left the party. But I left after the purported primaries and I lost to, Hon. Peter. This is the result of the primary election, but the copy you gave me is not clear. I did not challenge the result in any court or write any protest letter against the party’s primary election.
“As a politician, I know that, not all nominations and sponsorship take place long before elections.
“In my statement, I mentioned that I was nominated and sponsored by Labour Party (LP) around June, 2022. I joined the Labour Party in 2022 and this is contained in my statement. I resigned from the PDP in 2022.
“Before I left the PDP, I am not aware that the party has nominated Peter as its candidate and I have never seen any case where Peter’s nomination and sponsorship by PDP were invalidated.
“What I stated was that, all nominations of the PDP are invalid. My Counsel has that answer.
“I did not go through all the cases, but my Counsel has the right answers. I have not also gone through the PDP constitution because I don’t have it.
“My complaint is about PDP structure and I don’t know if Peter Gyangden is a member of the PDP. I cannot remember the names of those I contest the PDP primary election with.
“I was a candidate in the general election and Peter defeated me with 3776 votes and that is why I am in court today.
“The general election had party logos and not the names of candidates and I was only concerned about my party’s logo. My name is in the amended list of INEC’s publication”.
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