The agent to Abubakar Ibrahim, and principal witness to the main challenger to the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship ticket for the forthcoming November election in Kogi State, Hon. Eric Fiki, says the 3rd September governorship primaries was inconclusive as gun men invaded the venue and disrupted the process.
Hon. Fiki stated this when the suit to determine the rightful owner of the Governorship ticket of the Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party for the November 16, governorship came up for continued hearing.
The matter which has however been adjourned to the 6th of November for the defense counsel to make their presentation, saw counsel to the defendants drilling Hon. Fiki, through cross examination, insisting that he is not a member of the PDP having failed to pay his membership fee since 2013 and since his joining the APC.
According to Hon Fiki, following the pandemonium after the gunshots at the venue of the PDP governorship primaries, he lost consciousness, didn’t know what happened to the ballot papers that became scattered all over on the ground, said he only woke up later and found himself on a hospital bed.
Hon. Fiki maintained that following the gunshots that rock the venue of the PDP primaries, it left several casualties, said the security agencies and delegates all scampered for safety, pointed out that it was difficult accepting the result of the governorship primaries committee and that of the security agencies as the election was not Free, fair and concluded, neither was the security report a correct assessment of what transpired.
But during cross examination, Counsel to the PDP Governorship Candidate, J. S Okutepa, SAN, told the court that Hon. Fiki is no longer a member of the PDP, hinged his argument on Section 223, 232 and 233 of the evidence act 2011, presented an online report and pictures showing that he has dumped the PDP and now a member of the APC, as such lacked the integrity to his credit to serve as a principal witness to the claimant and against the 2nd defendant.
Similarly, Okutepa pointed out that while the Kogi State Police Commissioners report who is a security expert showed that no casualty was recorded following the gunshots at the venue of the primaries, he also added that the police report maintained that all materials were fully recovered and handed over to the Chairman of the primaries, debunking statement by the PW2.
The suit challenging the outcome of the PDP governorship primaries came up for hearing at the Lokoja High Court 4 today, presided over by Justice Richard Olorunfemi, saw the agent of the main challenger, Hon. Eric Fiki, mount the witness box, was cross examined for hours.
In their cross examinations, counsel to the 1st and 3rd defendants, M.S. Ibrahim, and A.N. Makwe, during cross examination, drilled the claimant on his various submissions and also aligned themselves with the submission of J. S. Okutepa insisting that the election was concluded, maintained also that the PW2 was no longer a member of the PDP.
In his submission, Otaru Rowland Otaru, SAN, counsel to Abubakar Ibrahim, opposed the submission by defense counsels, urged the court to disregard the submission made in exhibit C15 and C16, pointing out that at a later day he will make his submission rejecting the issues raised by the defense counsel when he will be addressing the court.
In his ruling, Justice Olorunfemi, adjourned the suit to November 6th for the defense.
