The Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja had on Wednesday June 24, 2015 while ruling on a request by the governorship candidate
of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umana Okon Umana, ordered INEC to transfer all election materials to Abuja to allow the forensic team of the APC defeated candidate conduct forensic test on the election materials that were used during the election.
About three weeks afterwards, the forensic team of Obong Umana Okon Umana came to court to present the outcome of the forensic result that was laughable to both the judges and the court audience. Forensic results must be visible or non-visible.
But, when the scientist hired by Umana Okon Umana instead of giving competent report, relegated their findings to what many believed was improbable, raising fear that, Umana was being defrauded by the team, they told the court that animals were used for thumb-printing during the April 11th election in Akwa Ibom State.
The quacks, who styled themselves as a team of forensic experts, used 300 (DPI) dot per inch , instead of the internationally accepted rule of 600 (DPI ), and when the court questioned them on their qualification , it was revealed to the Court none of them was a forensic fingerprint expert but mere road side computer quacks.
The Umana’s team used the forensic method in analysing the thumb prints which is mostly used by police to detect finger prints in a crime scene which is completely strange, with modern method of thumb printing analysis for detecting multiple thumb printing.
Umana’s forensic examiner is contradicting his evidence by failing to provide tangible proof of the purported multiple thumb printing. They claimed to arrive at this with aid of automated finger identification system (AFIS) that Animals were used in thumb printing in the gubernatorial Election in Akwa Ibom State
The failed candidate of APC knows not that, even though AFIS machine has identified a particular finger making a particular imprint, the forensic expert still needs scientific method to do interpretation. In their report, they claimed to discover that a certain animal was used, without even being able to establish the name or the specie of the animal that was used by Peoples Democratic Party.
The report of the forensic scientist x-rays truly that there was election in Akwa Ibom State that was free and fair , and there was no act of mass thumb-printing as scouted my the former Candidate of All Progressives Congress .
But to save the face of both Umana Okon Umana and his few supporters, the quack forensic team managed to lies to the court that animals from Nsit Ubium did thumb printing in place of humans. The woes of APC in Akwa Ibom State will never end until they accept the truth that, there was election in the State.
Election fraud of mass thumb printing is the most commonly used forensic evidence worldwide and in most jurisdictions, fingerprint examination cases match or outnumber all other forensic examination casework combined.
After the presentation of the forensic test result, it dawned on many APC chieftains that the case in their hands had no value, and they started backing out. And this is why their lead Counsel instead of facing the shame withdrew from the case for lack of substantial evident that can secure a win.
Wole Olanipekun [SAN] engaged his client Umana in a heated argument that nearly resulted in a free fall. The face-off took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja where Umana had sought to know from Olanipekan why he hasn’t made appearances in court in the last two sittings.
According to our impeccable source, at the meeting, the learned senior advocate had laughed away his enquiry noting that he didn’t need to be in court at every sitting, adding that he was well represented by a competent hand at the sittings.
Olanipekan further reminded Umana that he is no more interested in the case as forensic result which was supposed to establish that truly, there was no election in Akwa Ibom State has been lost, instead of proving that the PDP conspired to massive commit electoral fraud through mass thumb-printing, that did not take place.
Because of these frustrations, it is reported by some segment of media, that the wife of the APC Governorship candidate in the last election, Lady Florence Umana has confided in her close friend in Abuja that she warned her husband to withdraw the Governorship petition case at the tribunal as the National leadership of the APC is not showing sufficient interest in the case and the forensic report was very disappointing.
She told her friend that instead of President Mohammadu Buhari funding and influencing the case, he is working in tandem with Governor Udom Emmanuel in his Economic reformation team in country.
Mrs Florence Umana was close to tears few weeks ago at the tribunal, when she accompanied her husband to the court 8 of Federal Capital Territory High Court, where Akwa Ibom Election Tribunal currently sits. She showed great emotion as witness after witness confessed to the Court that there was election in Akwa Ibom State and the forensic presentation was rebuffed by the bench.
Mrs Umana told her friend that her husband has been financially drained by the people who cluster around him every day to assure him of victory at the tribunal.
She told her friend that among those who depend on her husband is a former Governor of the state who is not very financially healthy at the moment. She said that the former governor’s in-law in Barbados had since converted the ICT University owned by him to himself.
Mrs Florence also complained to her friend that, the likes of Don Etiebet, Aniefiok Wilson, Atuekong Sunny Jackson are among those who encourage her husband to keep pressing on that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
She told her friend the many things that have befallen their family since the journey of her husband’s wish to become the governor of Akwa Ibom State. She confessed that already her husband has sold over three of their choice houses in Abuja and London and that just last week she prevented a sale of one their companies.
She said she’s pleading with her husband to bury the hatchet and make peace with his friend, Senator Akpabio and see ways they can recoup their resources.
She pleaded with her friend not to disclose this as there are however plans by Governor Udom Emmanuel to negotiate with Umana Okon Umana and refund some of his expenses. Otherwise when the case is finally decided, it will wrought disaster in the Umana family.
Some supporters of Umana are pointing accusing fingers at some chieftains of APC and the information manager of the campaign team who introduced the fraudulent forensic team to their principal
With the report of the forensic team, it is now clear to all of sundry that there was election in Akwa Ibom State and incidents of electoral violence did not apply to any polling unit in the State, also with the forensic report, Obong Umana Okon Umana case at the tribunal is a mere academic exercise as the case is dead
Emmanuel Nicholas