I Was Absent During Kogi Election, Witness Tells Tribunal

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The star witness of the Social Democratic Party and its candidate in the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State, Abdulmalik Njidda, has told the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, that he was not in the state on the day of the election.
Abdulmalik, a data analyst with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said this as he completed his evidence-in-chief and was cross-examined after 11 long days of his testimony before the tribunal.

The witness had earlier testified to events that took place during the election in Kogi State, with regard to entries on the BVAS machines used for the election in Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okene, Okehi, Ogori Magongo and Lokoja local government areas of the state.
However, drama ensued when, during cross examination by counsel to the governor of Kogi State, the APC and INEC, he turned around to say he was nowhere near Kogi State on the day of the election.
The INEC data analyst confirmed that he was posted to Imo State for the governorship election, which held on the same day the election in Kogi State was held.
Specifically, the witness admitted that he was never at any of the polling units complained about on election day and in respect of whose BVAS machines he examined before the Tribunal.
He said he was therefore not in a position to know or show how the BVAS machines were operated at those polling units.

In his further testimony under cross examination, the witness also admitted that as an INEC data analyst, he was never assigned any function on the day of the election in Kogi State, meaning that he had no reason to operate the BVAS machines he was brought to Court to prove its contents.

When further cross examined on the serial number of the BVAS machines that he was called to demonstrate in court, the INEC data analyst said he did not know the serial number of the machines, adding that the BVAS machines he demonstrated in court were not the entirety of the BVAS machines used for the election in Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okene, Okehi, Ogori Magongo and Lokoja local government areas of Kogi State.