BREAKING: (AHIWE VS OTTI): “This Tribunal Has No Business With Spirits” – Otti’s Lawyer Fumes In Court
Barrister A.J. Owonikoko, the counsel representing Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party in the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP on Friday, kicked against a subpoenaed witness of the PDP testifying before the tribunal, noting that the Governorship election petition tribunal has no business with ‘spirits’.
Owonikoko made this assertion when reacting to the PDP’s move to field a subpoenaed witness who was not listed on the witness schedule list of the petitioners (PDP).
He noted also that the tribunal lacks jurisdiction to hear the testimony of the witness and asked the tribunal not to grant him audience.
“This tribunal has no business with spirits. This witness is not cognisable. My Lord, I don’t believe that this witness is entitled to be given audience in this Honourable tribunal.
“The witness is not within the contemplation of the petitioner’s case and his testimony cannot be accommodated within their trial time.
” My Lord, if the petitioners have no other witness, they should close their case” Owonikoko stated.
Earlier, the counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, J.T.U. Nnodum, asked that the PDP’s witness testimony be stood down on the grounds that the witness was not mentioned on the witness schedule list and the petitioner’s only served him with an application “this morning”.
Counsel to the Labour Party, Chief Umeh Kalu, SAN also asked for a stand down, adding that “we were also served this morning and this is an ambush”.
Responding to their arguments, counsel to the PDP, C.L. Nwogwugwu, SAN, conceded to the 1st and 3rd respondents’ requests for a stand down and apologised to the respondents for serving them the application late.
The tribunal stood down the matter till 11:30am.
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