J. S. Okutepa (SAN), the lead counsel to the Petitioners left many at the Akwa Ibom State Governorship Tribunal in Uyo surprise on Friday, after he described a witness for the 2nd Respondent ( PDP), Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, as a witness of Honour, stating that the senator won his admiration from his days at the National Assembly, Igbere TV reports.
Igbere TV gathers that senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien admitted to his deposition that the 2019 elections was the freest since the advent of the current democratic dispensation in 1999.
Igbere TV reports Mr. Okutepa even went ahead to apply for a seat for the witness to the surprise of the court as the learned senior advocate had never shown such courtesy to an opposing witness previously.
The counsel asked Senator Ibok Essien during cross examination, if the 2019 election was more credible than the election that produced him a Senator in 1999.
“My lord, my election free, but in 2019, the presence of the card reader added more credibility to the process.
“Ibok Essien, testified as the 3rd witness of the 2nd Respondent, the PDP, in the petition filed by Obong Nsima Ekere against the re-election of His Excellency, Mr Udom Emmanuel as the Governor, Akwa Ibom State in the March 9, 2019 elections.
The Senator adopted his deposition on oath as his evidence in the case, and further affirmed in oral testimony under Cross Examination that the election was free and fair in the state.
On further cross examination by Okutepa on how he got to the conclusions that elections were free and fair across the state, Senator Essien explained that “I made use of the radio and followed live updates on the media from the field across the state.”
He emphatically disagreed with the evidence of PW46, Obong Nsima Ekere where he said that the elections should be cancelled on the grounds that elections were not free and credible.
“As a stakeholder, I followed the process of the election from the unit to the local government collation center and it was very transparent,” Ibok Essien asserted.
The Divine Mandate campaign organisation stakeholder, admitted knowing Elder Patrick Albert, who he said performed creditably as the chairman of NUJ at the time.
To add to his verbal endorsement, Okutepa SAN did not object to the tendering of the Senator’s voter card as he said there was obviously no need to doubt him.
