The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal seating in Uyo was filled with drama at the resumed hearing at the Tribunal in the case of Rt Hon. Eseme Eyiboh and Hon Okpolupm Etteh on Wednesday.
Gatekeepers News reports Eyiboh of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Etteh of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, both contested for the House of Representatives for Eket/Onna/Esit Eket/Ibeno federal constituency in the last election.
While Etteh was declared winner, Eyiboh approached the Tribunal that the former presented forged certificates to INEC, thus making him unqualified to have contested the election.
At the tribunal on Wednesday, more revelations disclosed the inconsistency in Etteh’s certification and also how the rep-elect obtained OND Certificate in a non-existing private polytechnic in Aba before getting his WAEC Certificate.
The first drama of the day was that the 1st Respondent (Okpolupm Etteh) was to open his defense after the Petitioner (Eyiboh) had closed his case on Monday. However, Etteh failed to appear before the tribunal despite earlier stating that he will testify as the only witness.
Nevertheless, one Ozemene Goodluck James who claimed that he is the Registrar of Temple Gate Polytechnic, Aba (formerly School of Management Technology), while testifying before the tribunal, presented an attestation letter, admission form, result after completion of the program, ND Certificate, and the application he wrote to get the certificate to back up his claim that Etteh attended the school.
When crossed-examined by counsel to the petitioner, Jumbo Umoh Esq, James admitted that Etteh got his FSLC in 1988 and two years after primary education, he gained admission into the polytechnic in 1990. Meanwhile, it was also admitted before the tribunal that Etteh got WAEC in 2002, ten years after he got his ND.
However, neither the School of Management Technology nor Temple Gate Polytechnic were listed in the names of tertiary institutions (public and private) in the country from 1926 till date.
The tribunal, thereafter, rejected the governing council attendance register tendered by the 1st Respondent.
Another testimony at the Tribunal by a second witness and Deputy Registrar, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, one Alexander Anukam, tendered documents that included, IT, letter of admission for HND, a certificate in marketing from Polytechnic Oko, pre-national results from Oko, statement of results from Institute of Management and Technology, Aba.
However, counsel to the petitioner objected to the documents, noting that there is no admission letter to back up the claim. He also objected to the pre-HND result and submitted that there is no result for admission into any tertiary institution in the country, not to talk of a Federal Polytechnic like Oko.
The Deputy Director of Examination Certification Division, Ministry of Education, Akwa Ibom State, Akaninyene Inyang also testified as another witness to the PDP on the matter.
Inyang tendered before the tribunal, the First School Leaving Certificate, FSLC, which the ministry issued in 1998 to Etteh upon completion of primary school education in the state, submitting that the document was not forged.
However, Inyang was unable to reconcile the FSLC result and the birth certificate as filed before INEC, as there was inconsistency in both the name on the two documents.
The fourth witness from the PDP in the state, Oku Johnny, who identified himself as an administrative officer, also testified before the tribunal. He submitted some documents to back up his claim.
The National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, on Monday, denied the existence of the School of Management and Technology, Aba.
Meanwhile, Eyiboh’s petition is premised on the single ground of eligibility, and testimonies from witnesses have set the stage for him.
In the face of a barrage of questions from INEC and PDP lawyers, Eyiboh remains resolute, consistent, and vehement in pursuit of his claims.
The Tribunal headed by Hon Justice Kudirat Jose with Hon Justice Philomena Nweke and Hon Justice Mua’zu Abubakar as members has adjourned for the exchange of briefs of arguments.
