Enugu Chapter of the Labour Party, on Friday, said it would call 36 witnesses to testify against Peter Mbah of the People Democratic Party (PDP) at the Governorship Election Tribunal over alleged certificate forgery.
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is hearing the petition filed by Edeoga of the Labour Party against Peter Mbah of the PDP.
Edeoga is praying for the tribunal to disqualify Mba over the alleged NYSC certificate forgery.
Speaking to the tribunal on Thursday in Enugu, Mr M. J. Numa, counsel to Mr Chijioke Edeoga said that they intended calling 28 witnesses in a whole within their control and eight subpoenaed witnesses.
Numa said that they would require a period of five weeks to call the witnesses and had agreed that the witnesses within their control would need 15 minutes for cross-examination.
He added that they had taken care of the interpreter as they would schedule for the process prepared.
Responding, counsel to Mbah and the PDP, Mr Wole Olanikpekun and Mr Tochukwu Maduka respectively, on the ground that the FCT High Court had resolved the issue of alleged certificate forgery as there was a leave of appeal and that section 177 and 182 of the constitution had settled the matter.
Numa said that there was no record of any appeal on such subject matter, adding that the court could not speculate the existence of an appeal.
He said that the tribunal had competent jurisdiction for the matter and pleaded the court’s indulgence to strike out the objection.
“177 and 182 of the constitution are mutually exclusive, 182 has more elaboration than 177, so they are two separate provisions that stand on their own. I, therefore, invite your Lordship to decline those invitations,” he said.
