The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on Tuesday in Abuja issued a subpoena compelling the National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Rotimi Fashakin, to appear before the tribunal on Oct 6.
The subpoena was to enable the CPC National Publicity Secretary to defend a malicious statement against the justices presiding at the tribunal credited to him by the Nigerian Tribune.
Justice Kumai Akaas said that the subpoena was after counsel to the parties, including counsel to the petitioner (CPC), Mr Abubakar Malami, agreed for more investigation into the matter.
However, Akaas, fixed Oct. 5 for the Political Editor and the Correspondent of the paper to appear again for the consideration of their apology.
The panel had on Sept. 30, ordered the Nigerian Tribune to produce the Political Editor and the Correspondent who published the statement on Oct. 4.
Mr Akinjide Sadiq, counsel to the newspaper, however, tendered an unreserved apology to the court for the publication.
He said that the company was prepared to publish the apology in its next edition, saying the organisation did not deliberately publish the statement to malign the judiciary.
Chief Andrew Adegboyega (SAN), counsel to INEC on Sept. 30 brought the attention of the court to an alleged malicious publication credited to the petitioner’s National Publicity Secretary.
Adegboyega submitted that the publication was aimed at bringing the justices handling the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to disrepute.
He added further that the publication was used by the petitioner to malign the entire judiciary, adding that the matter was sub-judice.
According to him, the author of the statement and the publisher have no right to critique a ruling of the court on a matter that has yet to be determined.
In a related development, Mr Ben Dzoho, Secretary of the Benue State Chapter of the PDP said that the April Presidential election was free and fair in all localities of the state.
Dzoho explained that there was no violence, malpractice of any kind and that ballot papers were not sized as alleged by the petitioner.
Mr Isah Danlafia, a PDP supervisory agent in Nasarawa State, said that some voters could not find their names in the voters’ register, adding that the figure was negligible and did not affect the exercise.
Mr Salisu Gumel, another PDP’s supervisory agent from Jigawa, said that the election was free and fair and that people came to vote for the Jonathan and Sambo ticket without prejudice to the party they belonged.
Mr Yusuf Majigiri, an agent of the party from Katsina State, said that there was no shortage of ballot papers as alleged by the petitioner, adding that electoral materials were distributed across the state without hitches.
Mr Earnest Iyana, another agent of the party from Akwa-Ibom State, submitted that no ballot paper billed to be used on the election day was abandoned.
He said that INEC’s officials were neither threatened nor barred from carrying out their duties.
Mr Bem Tseem, another PDP agent from Kwande in Benue, said that voter turnout and conduct during the election was commendable.
Mr Solomon Ozuah, PDP agent from Anambra, said that the election was flawless, adding that all the polling units in his locality witnessed large turnout of voters.
Mr Alexander Guruza, another agent of the PDP from Anambra, submitted that Jonathan did not order the deployment of soldiers in the state on the day of the election.
He explained that it was not right for the petitioner to hold that Jonathan and Sambo gave gratification to voters to induce sympathy votes.
Leading members of CPC including General Muhammadu Buhari, his spokesperson, Yinka Odunmakin have always been fingered as individuals who made inflammatory statements that heightened tension and subsequent killings in aftermath of April polls in Nigeria.