BY VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA — GOVERNOR Willie Obiano was in the witness box for about seven hours yesterday as the star witness in the suit challenging his election in last year’s governorship poll in Anambra State.

While being cross examined by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, Obiano said he did not know the origin of the double registration document which was given to him by Ngige.
However, he admitted that the pictures and signatures that appeared on the voters register appeared to be his own, but insisted that he was not an INEC staff and would not know how it happened.

When the INEC form was shown to Obiano he said “I am seeing the form for the first time, the picture there was not mine, I do not know who planted it there, there is no place my name appeared twice and there is no place I voted twice.”

There was however  a shouting match among the counsel  following what some of the senior lawyers described as unnecessary questioning by the council to APC andf Ngige, Mr. Emeka Ngige.
The attempt to time the APC counsel infuriated Ngige who said that he had never witnessed in law practice where a fellow counsel timed his colleague during cross examination of a witness.

At the end of proceedings yesterday evening, the tribunal chairman, Justice Ishaq Bello warned the lawyers against being temperamental in their arguments.

“The discrepancies and general practice of behavior will also be seen overseas, whatever we do here may make or mar the judicial system but our promise is that when  we leave here, we are not going to bear any grudges against any person,” he said.