The Election Petition Tribunal for Abia North re-run has warned the parties against playing pranks to outsmart each other. The tribunal equally drummed it into the ears of the parties that they should not turn the tribunal proceedings into a game of chess.

The warning came Tuesday barely 24 hours to the conclusion of presentation of witnesses by the petitioner, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, who is challenging the declaration of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as winner of the re-run poll for Abia North senatorial district.

Tribunal chairman, Justice James Abundaga, gave the warning following the complaint by counsel to the first respondent, Mike Onyeka that the petitioner was “fishing for witnesses” and serving their written depositions late, thereby limiting the chances of respondents fair hearing.

“This case should not be taken as chess game. The parties should put their cards on the table,” he said, adding that the parties should file written depositions of witnesses early enough and serve the other party.

He said that there was need for all the concerned parties to participate fully in the proceedings devoid of pranks, adding, “If we must do justice it demands that the other party must be sufficiently put on notice.”

The counsel to the first respondent, Mr. Mike Onyeka had told the tribunal that the petitioner had been calling witnesses outside those already listed in his petition and has been serving the witness depositions to respondents at short notice.

“The petitioner is fishing for witnesses and they continue to fish till few hours to the sitting, hiding under the subpoena,” he said.

According to him, the ploy was to deny the respondents enough time to study the content of the depositions of the subpoenaed witnesses and conduct proper cross-examination.

But counsel to the petitioner, Perfect Okorie, in his reply said that it was “unprofessional and unethical” for the petitioner’s counsel to supply facts to misrepresent the tribunal, insisting that the deposition of the witness was served at 2.30pm and not 4.30pm.

He said that the subpoenaed witnesses were not under the control of the petitioner, adding that “it has been very difficult on our side (as) we continue to beg them (witnesses) whenever we got to know where they are.”

The proceeding had commenced with the cross-examination of a subpoenaed witness, Mr. Kanayo Uzoegbu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), AC operations Zone 9 Umuahia, who was grilled by the legal team of the respondents.

Doubts were raised by the respondents counsel on whether the deposition was actually written by ACP Uzoegbu after pointing out that the name on the deposition was different from his name, as well as claiming that there was security breach on the day of election rerun when he was expected to have provided security with his team.