Abia State News Special Report
OTTI VS IKPEAZU: COUNSELS CLASH DURING PROCEEDINGS, AS PRESIDING JUDGE ACCUSED OF BIAS
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Afnews Editor
Jul 09, 2019
Counsels of both the People's
Democratic Party [PDP] and All Progressives Grand Alliance [APGA], on Monday
July 8th 2019, almost engaged in a physical brawl at the ongoing
Tribunal hearing and cross examination of APGA witnesses.
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Quarrel started when a co-counsel to the PDP, Joe Igwe and INEC lawyer Zakari Garba asked a witness Mr. Godswill Otti who in his deposition, said he worked as an agent and voted at Unit 3 ward 8 Umuola Road OgborHill Aba, to take a look at his deposition which he tendered before the court on the 29th of March 2019 to explain why he is testifying falsely to the court by saying it was at unit 2 that he worked as an agent and not unit 3 as documented in his written evidence.
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Counsel to APGA immediately
jumped up to caution his learned colleague Joe Igwe to sit down as it was not
his turn to cross examine the witness. But counsel to PDP insisted that he will
not sit down as he has observed that the witness in question was giving a false
testimony to the court.
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But the presiding judge said he
was right by law to have stood up to observe what he saw as a wrong thing on
the side of the witness, wondering why the witness could not know the Unit he
worked as an agent.
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This action never went down well
with counsel to APGA Abiodun Owonikoko [SAN] who immediately described the
court proceedings as bias for not giving a fair hearing to the witness, even
when he has reversed himself that it was a mistake, adding that mistake occurs
always.
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Owonikoko insisted that the
witness was being misquoted, but the judge said that he has adopted what the
witness said that he never worked as an agent at unit 003 but 002. However,
counsel to APGA further explained that the judge was too hasty to have written
it down because the witness was misquoted.
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He said it is wrong for the judge
to adopt it without fair hearing for the witness who has reversed himself that
he voted and worked as an agent at unit 003 and not 002 as mentioned earlier.
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Another witness Mr. Patrick Ohis
of unit 004 ward 3 Osusu Aba was asked by counsel to INEC to sign his signature
for the court to authenticate it, but the presiding judge ruled it out and said
such has no basis, prompting another round of square up between judge and INEC
lawyer who explained that it would have been good for the witness to sign his
signature.
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The judge, however cautioned both
counsels, pointing out that election petitions are very critical and that they
must not heat up the system. He further promised all to be fair to them as they
make progress.
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In all, about 8 APGA witnesses
were cross examined, just as the judge adjourned till Tuesday the 9th
of July 2019 for more hearing.
