Thursday, 17 September 2015

Your counsel should teach you how to behave, Tribunal tells Turner Ogboru



The Governorship Election Petition reached the end of its tither last Wednesday when it took exception to the conduct of a witness, Mr. Turner Ochuko Ogboru while under cross examination at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, in Asaba.
The three –man tribunal panel expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct put up by the witness presented for cross examination by the petitioners, Labour Party and its governorship candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Delta state, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru..
The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Nasiru Gunmi while presiding over the  cross examination of the 13th witness of the petitioners, repeatedly cautioned  Turner Ogboru  over his disobedient conduct to tribunal procedures and rules . 
Turner Ogboru,  the  younger brother to Great Ogboru, while testifying at the tribunal  in the petition challenging the electoral victory of Governor Ifeanyi  Okowa, had  declined to give a direct  answer  of “ yes or no”, to  questions put to him by the respondents’ counsels during cross examination.
Efforts by counsels to PDP, INEC and Okowa  ;  Mr. Akinlolu Timothy Kehinde (SAN) , Damian  Dodo (SAN) and  Alex  Izinyion (SAN) to make him comply proved abortive as he, Turner Ogboru would rather  relapse into lengthy  narratives in attempt at answering the questions.
The witness’ approach and conduct infuriated the panel of judges after he had been warned a dozen times to comply with instructions.
Justice Gunmi said, “Don’t stretch our patience, maybe   we have to take an adjournment and ask your counsel to advice you on how to behave.
“You are a witness in this matter, whatever relationship you have with counsels does not count here, and you should answer the questions directly, so please help us. I want you to know that the evidence you give will determine your case, if you do not comport yourself, I do not know how you are helping in this matter”.
After relative calm in the tribunal, following infuriating altercation between counsels to Okowa, PDP and INEC, and petitioner’s witness, Turner Ogboru told the tribunal that he was not desperate at securing  victory  for his brother and LP at the tribunal.
When confronted with contradicting figures in his depositions, Turner Ogboru pleaded with the tribunal to expunge pages 60 and 61 of his statement on oath saying “there is error in the chat, it is not correct, please expunge that portion”.
He acknowledged the  error in h is reports and statement on oath   before the tribunal, which he said occasioned from his failure to consult the voters register while compiling his report.
He   told the tribunal that the depositions were not wholly his idea as his counsel assisted  in preparing the report.
Turner Ogboru also informed the court that  similar mistakes were noticed in the report deposed to by the Labour Party (LP) chairman, Mr. Tony Ezeagwu,  because it followed the same pattern of being doctored  by their counsels.   
Meanwhile, Counsel to Governor Ifeanyi  Okowa, Dr. Alex Izyion (SAN) told the tribunal that he has closed his case with the All Progressive Congress (APC) having called four witnesses in the matter to prove his case
Equally, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are bid to open their defense against APC and Ortega  Emerhor  on Friday, 18th ,September, 2015. 


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