The Kogi governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Wuse, Abuja has admitted a video evidence which was tendered by Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), Counsel to the the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Engr Musa Wada.  Tuesday’s continued hearing was a major dramatic push for the PDP in its bid to reclaim Kogi governorship election which held on November, 2019. Yahaya Bello’s lawyers battle for the video clips to be rejected without success. The video clips showed the magnitude of alleged violence that characterised the poll were tendered by the petitioner, Engr Musa Wada. The first witness also substantiated the allegations of electoral malpractices, thereby, corroborated with the earlier forensic analyst and writing experts, a situation that may compound woes for Yahaya Bello.
In turn, Wada’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa called the first witness, Captain Joe Agada, a retired military officer through whom card reader was tendered as evidence.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) opposed the evidence saying such has earlier been rejected on the 8th of April, 2020.
He informed the Tribunal that the case brought by Wada appealing for admissibility of the evidence was pending. Counsel for the All Progressives Congress, APC, Malam Ahmed Raji SAN and counsel for governor Yahaya Bello Elisha Kura agreed with INEC’s Counsel Iziyon.
But Okutepa emphasised that the evidence tendered can be admitted at any stage.
Ruling on the application, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kashim Kaigama admitted the video clips on the election and the death certificates of some victims of the election violence.
The PDP candidate is challenging the victory of Bello who was declared winner of the election by INEC in which Bello was said to have scored a total of 406,222 votes to defeat Wada with 189,704 votes.
