The Census Tribunal on Tuesday in Abuja validated the 2006 enumeration figure of Charanchi Local Government Area of Katsina State as declared by the National Population Commission (NPC).
The council had earlier dragged the commission before the Census Tribunal `A’ alleging that some of its localities were not captured by the enumeration officials during the 2006 National Population and Household Census.
It also alleged that the population figure of 136,989 declared for the area was grossly inaccurate and urged the tribunal to void the figure.
The council further submitted that the commission’s witness, Mr Simon Gonley, was not competent and that his testimonies were based on `hearsay’, adding that he was not physically present in Katsina State during the census.
The tribunal validated the figure in its judgment based on the failure of the council to tender evidence with regards to the localities it alleged were not enumerated.
The judgment read by the Tribunal Chairman, Mr Abraham Yisa, held that the complainant’s localities not enumerated were not disclosed to the tribunal.
Yisa further held that the complainant had failed to substantiate its claims of non-enumeration
“The tribunal findings as submitted by the respondent that the localities the complainant’s related to were not pleaded and were not stated in their further and better affidavits.
“Fact not pleaded is not an issue and the tribunal cannot make decision on them. Consequently, the totality of evidence proffered by the complainant falls short of proof of any fact relevant to this case.
“The tribunal, therefore, holds that the complainant has failed to discharge the burden of proving its case on a preponderance of evidence.
“It, therefore, enters judgment in the respondent’s favour and upholds as valid the census figure of 136,989 in respect of Charancchi Local Government Area of Katsina State,’’ Yisa added.
