By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA—The Nigerian Army, yesterday, testified before the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja,maintaining that the governorship election did not hold in some  parts of the state on April 11, 2015.

An Army officer, Captain Garba Sani, told the Justice  Mohammed Ambrosa-led tribunal  that violence by political thugs marred the electioneering process, saying  that he did not see where election took place in Tai Local Government Area of the state, where he and his team were deployed to maintain peace and order on the governorship election day.

He told the tribunal that the quick intervention of his team led to the rescue of some  officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, whom he said  were harassed  by thugs on that day.

The tribunal earlier overruled objections by Governor Nyesom Wike, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and INEC,  which sought to bar the Army officer from mounting the witness box, yesterday.

Sani, a subpoenaed witness, who said he led 37 other soldiers on a patrol of the entire Tai council, said he appeared before the tribunal, yesterday, on the directive of Army authorities.

Led in evidence by Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, counsel to the APC and its governorship candidate in the state, Dr Dakuku Peterside, the witness, confirmed arresting some of the armed thugs and handing them over to the Police for further actions.

Under cross examination by Chief Okey Wali SAN, counsel to Wike, the witness informed the tribunal that he led a team of 38 soldiers deployed to the place by the military authority.

He denied insinuation that the military aided election rigging,  adding that the army was a disciplined organisation and would not indulge in such a crime of aiding a political party to rig.

Also under cross examination by Dr Onyechi Ikpeagu, SAN, counsel to INEC, the army officer said that he was not stationed at any specific place but moved round in two Military Hilux vans.