From Yakubu Busari,Jos
Former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker ,Rt.Hon. Idris Ahmed Maje Wase has opened and closed defense with five witnesses on Tuesday at the ongoing Election Petition Tribunal of the National,State Houses of Assembly sitting in Jos .
Wase, opened defense with the tendering of volumes of documents through the bar to help his alleged rigging and over voting in the February 25, 2023 election held in Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State .
However, Hon.Ibrahim Kanje Bawa of the People Democratic Party, PDP, is before the trial tribunal challenging the declaration of Idris Ahmed Wase who is the first respondent as pronounced winner of the Wase Federal Constituency election for having scoring the lawful votes cast .
It’s was also alleged that massive rigging and over voting in 15 polling units in Bashar District of Wase led to the cancellation of the results in some parts ,as some persons thump printed the ballot papers .
The petitioner’s counsel, S.S.Obende told the trial tribunal that the petitioners has closed their case and the first respondent opened his defense .
However , the first respondent’ s Counsel, Barr.Sani Rabiu explained that they have documents to tender from the bar, about 12 documents sought to be admitted in evidence .
According to him, they have served parties on Tuesday morning as arranged in the scheduled and given to counsels during the processes .
Maje Wase documents were admitted and marked as exhibits 1R1 A-B ,1R2 A-B,a1R3 A-B ,1R4A-B,1R5A-B,1R6A-B,1R7A-B,1R7A-B,1R8A-B ,1R9A-B,1R10,1R10A-B,1RW,.
The RPW1 , Abdullahi Useini of Wase town on subpoenaed presented documents and tendered in evidence before the trial tribunal and was admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits 1R13 .
The counsel to the first respondent ,Dani Rabiu referred Abdullahi Useini to his statement on oath were he as a witness identified subpoenaed and the guidelines and constitution was tendered in evidence without objection from the 1,2,3, except the petitioners counsel that objected to the admissibility of the documents .
Besides, the 1st respondent drew the trial tribunal attention that the said documents were listed among the pre-hearing schedule reserved in the final written address after the objection.
Kanje’s Counsel however rejected the admissibility of the tendered documents. Hearing continues.
