Expdonaloaded News; Kogi tribunal: Two witnesses testify against Melaye

THE Election and Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja yesterday accepted, the prayer of Senator Smart Ad­eyemi to close its case after two witnesses testified that there were irregularities in the March 28th Na­tional Assembly election that produced Dino Melaye as the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District.

While testifying before the tribunal, the star wit­ness to Adeyemi, Hon Fehinti Dada, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial collation officer said reports collated from the party agents from across the district showed that some election re­sults were doctored and manipulated in favour of the candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC), Dino Melaye.
Dada, told the tribunal that the election was fraught with irregularities in 21 units of five wards in Lokoja Local Government Area, saying the result of the recounting exercise as ordered by the tribunal revealed that INEC counted and recorded the voided votes during the election in favour of Melaye.
Under cross examination by the counsel to the APC,Mr Francis Chukwuani the witness told the tribunal that the APC never held a primary election before Melaye emerged as the candidate of the party.