2015 Polls: Drama as ‘Dead man’ gives evidence at tribunal

NATIONAL Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, was taken aback when a middle aged man identified as Christopher Anirah, who was presumed dead, made a surprise appearance to testify before it.

Anirah, was subpoenaed by the tribunal to give evidence in the on-going trial in an election petition matter between Hon. Gibson Ighofose Akporehe of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Hon. Evelyn Omavowan Oboro, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, told the tribunal that his death certificate was allegedly forged by the APC House of Representatives candidate.
Meanwhile, Hon Evelyn Oboro, in her preliminary objection, asked the tribunal to dismiss Akporehe’s petition for lack of merit, saying it is an abuse of court process.

Akporehe who is the candidate of APC in Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie federal constituency in the 2015 election, through his counsel, Mr Charles Umweni, had told the tribunal that the witness he intends to call (Anirah) cannot come to the tribunal to testify, claiming that he died after suffering a cardiac attack.

But, at the resumed hearing of the matter, yesterday, in Asaba, somebody who claimed to be Anirah stormed the tribunal and stepped into the witness box to give evidence when the chairman of the three-man tribunal panel, Justice Adebukole Banjoko, called out the name.

The sudden appearance of the said Anirah created commotion in the tribunal as the bewildered audience started shuffling and murmuring in low tones over the appearance of a ‘dead man’ in court, prompting Justice Banjoko to call for calm.

Anirah, during examination by respondents’ counsel, Mr. Onome Egbon, told the tribunal that he was the rightful candidate of the APC for the Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie Federal Constituency in the 2015 National Assembly election until his name was ‘fraudulently substituted” with that of Akporehe on account that he (Anirah) was dead.

He told the tribunal that Akporehe allegedly “forged a death certificate from a General Hospital that I died of cardiac failure and hypertension” and allegedly deceived INEC to remove his name from the list of contestants for the election.

He also told the tribunal that somebody who posed as his family member was made to testify that the death rumour was true to convince INEC to carry out their evil plan of substituting his name.

Anirah further alleged that he had received several death threats through phone calls warning him not to come near the tribunal premises to testify in the on- going matter between Oboro and Akporehe, adding that the threat has since been reported to security agents.

“The notice was supported with a forged death certificate signed by a non-existent Dr Jude Omoefe from a non-existent Government Hospital. It says Christopher Anirah died of cardiac failure and hypertension. Also backing the notice is an affidavit of death dated January 15, 2015 and deposed to by Okonji at the Ughoton Customary Court, Ughoton, Delta State,” he said.

Continuing, he said; “after the primaries, I travelled briefly out of the country. When I returned on January 23, I heard that one Cyril Ogodo, the deputy state chairman of my party, had allegedly sold my mandate to one Gibson Akporehe. The party claimed not to know about it”.

He said: “I want Nigerians to help me fight this injustice, because if they let these people succeed it could be another person tomorrow. It is unfair and inhuman for a man that is alive to be technically erased from the surface of this earth. My family and friends are yet to get over the shock they experienced when they got the news that I was dead.”.