Jethro Ibileke/Asaba

There was drama at the Delta state Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday as a middle aged man who was presumed dead made a dramatic appearance in court to testify. 

The supposedly ‘dead’ man, Christopher Anirah, was subpoenaed by the Tribunal to give evidence in an election petition matter between Gibson Ighofose Akporehe of the All Progressives Congress and Evelyn Omavowan Oboro, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2015 House of Representative election for Okpe, Sapale and Uvwie Federal Constituency. 

The APC candidate had through his Counsel, Charles Umweni, told the Tribunal that Anirah, the witness he intended to call, could not come to the Court to testify  because he was dead. 

He told the tribunal that Anirah died of cardiac arrest, and  could not be subpoenaed to give evidence in the on-going case.  

But the resumed hearing on the matter took a dramatic turn when someone who claimed to be the supposedly dead Anirah appeared and stepped into the witness box to give evidence after the Chairman of the three-man Tribunal, Justice Adebukole Banjoko, called out the name.

His appearance caused a stir, prompting Justice Banjoko to call for calm.  

Christopher Anirah who is Oboro’s star witness in the matter, told the Tribunal during  examination by the Respondent’s Counsel, Onome Egbon, that he was the rightful candidate  of APC  for the Okpe, Sapale and Uvwie  Federal Constituency of Delta State in the 2015 National Assembly election until his  name was “fraudulently substituted” with Akporehe’s name on account that he was dead.

He alleged that Akporehe “forged a death certificate from a Genera Hospital that I  died of cardiac failure and hypertension,” with  which he 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 rumor was true to convince INEC to carry out the plan of substituting his name. 

Anirah  further stated  that he has 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, as doing so will be at the risk of his life, adding that the threat has since been report to the 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, Orerokpe. 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.     

He took the Tribunal through the sequence of events beginning from when he won the primaries to the morning of 28 March when he was finally told that he had been substituted.

According to him, he got wind of the “evil and desperate plot to rob me of my mandate,” but all his efforts to protect it ended in futility.

He narrated to the Court; “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 sold my mandate to one Gibson Akporehe. The party claimed not to know about it.

“When I formally reported the matter to the party, the state chairman, Erhue, and the gubernatorial candidate, Emerhor, instructed the deputy state chairman, Ogodo, to go back and restore my name, which he did after collecting some amounts of money from me.  

“Surprisingly, after my name had entered the final list of INEC, I got wind of their plan to substitute me on the ground that I was dead. I now wrote to APC and INEC (tendered copies of the letter). I went there myself to submit the letters in which I informed them that some people were faking my death in order to substitute me. That was on January 24. 

“Before then, during our campaign at Orerokpe, the APC governorship candidate told the people at the rally that in a few days time they would know who would be the House of Representatives candidate between me and Akporehe. After the rally I met him and asked why he made such statement, knowing I was the candidate. He just smiled and didn’t say anything. 

“Five days later, I got a call from INEC in Abuja that if I was alive I should come to their office at 7 am the next day. The call came at about 9 pm. That same night, I left Sapele at 11 pm, drove overnight to INEC in Abuja where I met Mr. Ibrahim Bawa, the head of legal unit of the commission.