By Vincent Ujumadu

Awka—The senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and former national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, yesterday, testified before the first Anambra National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka, saying that the declaration of his opponent, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was improper.

Umeh, who mounted the witness box as prosecution witness 05 was led in evidence by his counsel, Chief Patrick Ikwueto, SAN.

Umeh, relying on his statements on oath which came in triplicates and made on April18, with additional ones on May 16 and June 4, 2015, told the tribunal presided by Justice Aganaba that the election was massively rigged in Obosi in Idemili North local council, which had one of the highest number of polling units in Anambra State as well as in Nimo in Njikoka Local Government Area.

According to him, the electoral malpractices came in various forms, adding that in Obosi, polling units 018, 003 and Awada Primary School polling unit 024, the number of votes cast exceeded the number of accredited voters.

He also said that in some of the polling units, serial numbers on polling booth results Forms EC8A1 were cleaned and ink used to write another serial number on them, adding that in 26 polling units, the number of ballot papers used exceeded the number of registered voters. He listed such units to include Nimo ward II polling units 007 and Obosi   polling Units 020 (Ama Onyira), among others.