The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its governorship candidate in Imo State, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), at the Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, have traded blames over alleged withholding of vital documents relating to the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state. The PDP and Anyanwu are challenging the outcome of the election that returned Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But responding to the allegation, the electoral body said the petitioners have not met with the condition precedent stipulated in section 253(2) of the Evidence Act and Order 20 rule 10 of the Federal High Court rules.
Lead counsel to the petitioners Johnson Usman (SAN), had accused the electoral body of flouting the order of the court by its failure to make available to his clients, some electoral materials used for the November 11, 2023 governorship election including the voters register.
He told the three-member tribunal led by Justice O. Akintan-Osadebay that the commission has refused to produce the election materials after collecting the sum of N5 million from the petitioners as processing fee, since January 26, 2024.
Usman further told the commission that outside the N5 million paid as processing fee, the petitioners equally pay the sum of N4 million to a business centre for the photocopying of the voters register.
