“There was no election in Tai-Rivers-State” – Witness told Tribunal

On September 9^th 2015 the Rivers state governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, was host to an army officer, Captain Garba Sani, who testified against the Peoples Democratic Party.
Sani told the tribunal that there was no election in Tai local government area in the state where he and his colleagues were stationed to maintain peace and order on the day of the election. 

The PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier objected against the petitioners All Progressives Congress, move to get Sani to testify at the tribunal.

According to The Punch, their attempt was however rebuffed by the tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Ambrosa who overruled their objection.

Sani, who was subpoenaed to give his testimony at the tribunal, said he led 37 other soldiers on a patrol of the entire local government on the day of the election.

He revealed that he appeared before the tribunal on the directive of army authorities. According to Sani, he received the directive of the army authorities through the directorate, legal, of the Nigerian Army, after his unit were about the subpoena served on the Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai. 

Sani who was led in evidence by the petitioners’ counsel, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), specifically mentioned that his team’s patrol started at about 6pm on April 10 into the night and up till the election-day on April 11.  

Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has stated that the state was excluded from the bailout funds recently released to states by President Buhari.