By,Giwa Alex, Jos

Cans of worms has been opened at the on going local government tribunal sitting in JOS the plateau state capital as  Eight  (8) of the  All Progressive Congress wards agents who are on subpoena,to the Chairman of Langtang North local government council, Hon Kparnim Nanloh Amos on   told the Trial tribunal Holden at West of mines Jos North LGA that they have multiple signatures and they were not trained by the party before the Local Government Election conducted on the 10th October, 2018 .

One of the witness  ,Mr Bingbol Vontau  while being  cross examined told the tribunal that APC  didn’t give them the necessary  training   before they were dispatching for the monitoring of various polling units as the party agents.

He said, he is a returning agent of Pishe Yashi a farmer who wish to adopt his written statement dated 28th April, 2019 as he was supine to come and give  testimony tendering his statement, saying as ward collection agent of Pishe Yashi under the exhibit mark 97 (97.A-F) results sheet of my polling unit was signed by me .

However, in Form 97 exhibit didn’t correspondence with the Bingbol Vontau original name which the made available to  the tribunal  as witness .he admitted that the name which  signed the polling station result  doesn’t belong to him   and he  didn’t know who wrote his   name in the result sheet.

He told the tribunal that about five of the ward collection centres which include, Ganglang, Ngwan Gani ,Pishe Yashi primary school, Zamadede and Pishe Yashi 2 all the results were not signed by other agents except the APC agent who signed for the polling station.

In some of the results brought before the tribunal, there are absence of figures of unused ballot papers with final score showing APC loading and the agents of other political parties didn’t sign. 

According to him, he gave his witness statement on oath to the lawyer in Hausa, but when show the result sheet ,yes this is not the result, I surrender my copy to the LG ward collection agent.

When the tribunal  sort to know whether the name of ward collection officer was Maina Nanzing , he told the tribunal ,yes, adding, I know him.

Mr Venchang Ezekiel the polling agent of Nyer rejected the signature written in the result sheet that it wasn’t his own but was able to identified his written statement dated 28th April, 2019  .

In side  form CTC mark exhibit 108C for Nyer Jarak under Langtang North,  we didn’t receive training to this effect and while cross examining Niri Daro ,counsel to the petitioner, Mr Venchang Ezekiel told the tribunal that he has more than 3 signatures which was tendered to the tribunal and the document mark exhibit 113 .

He also confirmed to the tribunal that he didn’t sign  the result in form 108 C and even though the serial number in the  said result couldn’t reflect in the true results sheets, we have duplicate of the results given to us but I can’t remember the colour of the results now. 
I know that they PLASIEC gave us white results to sign but that name is not my real name in the result sheet paraded because I return my own result to the APC Local Government returning agent, he explained.

At Kwanpe the APC agent Mr Nanyak Sunday  said at Pal Gwan ,under form 102E I signed the result sheet during his cross examination, Nanyak Sunday claimed he wasn’t seeing the result reflecting on the sheet.

He disclosed to the tribunal that his party APC assigned him as the returning officer but the result was signed by one Timsur Vontau then he was asked if he know David Nanzing who signed for polling station, Sunday said yes and my party won.

Another agent Dinfa Nimfa who adopted his written statement dated 28th April, 2019 in Nyem shi ko  polling unit confirmed that there are 8 political parties that contested the elections but none of their polling agents sign the result  sheet .

The first respondence, Hon Kparnim Nanloh Amos has opened his defense with total of 38 witnesses but suffer 10 witness have already testified.

The petitioner Ubandoma Joshua Laven closed his defence challenging the entire results of Langtang North LGA election at the trial tribunal holden at West of mines presided over by Hon justice J. k Binjin.

“You would recall that the PLASIEC returning officers abandoned most of the results at the collection centers ,but shortly after the Chairman, Hon Fibian Ntung Ari declared 13 Local Governments to be won by the APC “in Plateau State.

By,Alex G , Jos

The Senseless Killings in Middle Belt Region the Association of Middle Belt Journalists Forum have condemned the senseless violence and killings of people within its region by unknown assailant sponsor by politicians to wreck havoc to their homeland.

The Middle Belt Journalists Forum is demanding for an immediate end to the senseless killings of people within its region.

The forum has thus called on the state governors and other elected and appointed leaders from the zone to liaise with the respective authorities halt the senseless killings in the areas.

The forum stated this in a press statement signed by its National President, Hon. Jonathan Ipaa, in Abuja, condemning the renew attacks and killings in some parts of Taraba and Benue by suspected armed bandits.

The journalists’ forum warned that until the politicians from the zone come out with solutions to these senseless killings of their people, they will risk further support from these voters in subsequent polls.

Hon. Ipaa who used the opportunity to extend the forum’s sympathy and condolences to those who lose their relations and properties in the renew attacks in Taraba, Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states, but appealed for calm.

The forum also urged the security agencies to live up the situation as reported lose of lives was becoming too common to the sacrilege of human expectation.
Governors from the region were also task on job creation and useful engagement of the jobless youths whom he said, could provide useful tools for the devil.

The forum also extended its condolences to the people of Southern Kaduna over the recent unnecessary killings at Kajuru LGA, calling on the Federal Government to intensify efforts in protecting the lives of the citizens.