ABUJA — Details of two bank accounts of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of Yobe State, Mr. Abu Zarma, which showed that N15 million was lodged into his accounts few days before the April 11 election, has been admitted into evidence by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in the state.
Two officials of Diamond Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc, tendered the exhibits before the tribunal currently conducting its proceedings in Abuja.
The bankers were subpoenaed to appear before the tribunal as witnesses in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its governorship candidate in the state, Alhaji Adamu Waziri.
The PDP and its candidate are praying the tribunal to annul the election of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The petitioners alleged that the election that produced Gaidam was marred by several electoral malpractices and substantial non-compliance to the Electoral Act.
The PDP insisted that it could prove that the REC for the state, Zarma, was paid N15m bribe by the APC candidate, governor Gaidam.
Sequel to an application by the petitioners, the Justice Mojisola Dada-led tribunal summoned the banks to adduce proof of the cash lodgements, which it has admitted into evidence.
Among the exhibits tendered and admitted by the tribunal were documents of Diamond and Zenith Banks, including account statements, photocopies of tellers used for the lodgements of the funds and account opening forms, all bearing Zarma’s name.
Joined as respondents to the petition before the tribunal are Gaidam, APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the REC of Yobe State and Assistant Superintendent of Police, Zakari Deba (Aide-de-Camp to Gaidam).
The petitioners alleged that the Aide-de-Camp to Gaidam, Deba, paid N8 million into the Diamond Bank account of Zarma and N7 million into his Zenith Bank account on the same day.
The transactions were said to have been perfected on April 8, 2015, three days before the governorship election.
The Diamond Bank official from Damaturu Branch, Mr. Bamaji Kukawa, told the tribunal that the REC only had about N28,000 in his account prior to April 8 when the sum of N8 million was lodged into his account with the bank.
Led into evidence by counsel to the petitioners, Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, Kukawa said: “Before the April 8, 2015 entry, the bank account had N28,143.60k,”
He identified Aide-de-Camp to the governor, Deba, as the person that deposited the money.
However, the witness told the court that the money was in April 13, two days after the election, withdrawn from the account in favour of Saleh & Hanif Company.
He said N25,011.45 was left as balance on the account as of the end of the period covered by the statement of the account.
Likewise, the Head of Operation, Damaturu Branch of Zenith Bank, Mr. Umar Alkali, in his own testimony, told the tribunal that N7m was also deposited in Zarma’s account with the bank on April 8.
He added that as of the end of the period covered by the statement of account, the account was left with the balance of N1,345,503.38.
Meanwhile, lawyers to the respondents did not oppose the tendering of the exhibits into evidence by the tribunal.
They however indicated their readiness to contest the relevance of the exhibits to the subject matter of the petition before the tribunal, in their final written addresses.
Counsel to the governor and the APC, however, cross examined the witnesses with a view to ascertaining if any of the bank documents tendered before the tribunal, had the office of the REC of Yobe State as the owner of the said bank accounts.
The further queried whether the photograph of a depositor lodging money into an account is required to be captured before carrying out such transaction.
Both witnesses answered “no” to the two questions.
