By Emma Amaize

ASABA – A fingerprint expert, Prof. Patrick Igbigbii, yesterday, told the Delta State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Asaba, that a forensic analysis of the ballot papers used by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the January 6 governorship re-run in the state showed that 55 per cent of the ballot papers had blurred fingerprints.

He said the ballot papers with partial and legible prints were 25 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.

Prof. Igbigbii who was subpoenaed by the tribunal and called as a witness by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said most of the ballot papers had finger marks and not fingerprints, and that it would be extremely impossible to use those prints to indicate multiple voting.

He added that the finger marks could be used to count votes, but that INEC did not meet the standard condition to make meaningful deduction for fingerprints under the environment the January 6 re-run election was conducted, among which were visibility of  prints, complete fingerprints and unambiguity.

Also, the Commissioner of Police, Forensic Department, Force Headquarters, Alagbon, Lagos, Mr. Egbuna Vincent, told the tribunal that Ahmed Ibrahim, an ASP,  PW 18, who testified before the tribunal between July 4 and 5, and gave a report on forensic examination of the ballot papers used for the January 6 re-run was no longer in the service of the Police Force.

Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, governorship candidate in the election, Chief Great Ogboru, is challenging the result announced by INEC for the poll.

Uduaghan, also tendered the final result (EC8E), as well as the voter’s register, of the re-run conducted by INEC to show that the commission organised an election and computed results consequent upon which he was declared winner.