BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has admitted in evidence, the Certified True Copies of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System reports allegedly showing over-voting in favour of Ademola Adeleke during the July 16 governorship election in the state.
The tribunal, led by Justice Tertsea Kume also admitted in evidence Adeleke’s Diploma Certificate from Penn Foster High School, B.Sc Certificate from Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Letter of Attestation dated 22/5/2016 from Ede Muslim High School, NYSC Certificate of Exception and some other documents as exhibits.
Also admitted were forms EC8As, for Olorunda, Obokun and Ila local governments, forms EC8Bs which were results of the wards and forms EC8Cs – the results of each of the 10 local governments being challenged, forms EC8D which was the summary of the overall result, EC8Es the declaration of the result and form EC9.
Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress are challenging the declaration of Adeleke by the Independent National Electoral Commission as the winner of the election in 10 local government areas, just as it is also challenging his qualification to stand for the election.
At the resumed hearing of the petition on Thursday, counsel for Oyetola, Saka Layoonu (SAN) tendered additional documentary evidence, including the CTC of the much celebrated BVAS reports which indicated that the number of accredited voters was lower than the total number of votes cast in the said councils.
Layoonu, while formally tendering the documents, informed the court that the evidence had been jointly cross-checked by both parties and the secretariat of the tribunal and confirmed to be accurate.
Respondents’ counsels, Jamiu Olabode (INEC), Niyi Owolade (Adeleke) and Nathaniel Oke, SAN (PDP) objected to the admissibility of the documents and indicated that they would canvas arguments in the final written addresses.
Meanwhile, the tribunal, in its ruling admitted the documents in evidence, marked them as exhibits and adjourned till November 16.
But, the Governor-elect and Osun State Chapter of PDP have said the tendering of documents by Oyetola was not an indication of victory, saying there was nothing to celebrate in the development.
A statement signed by Olawale Rasheed, spokesperson to the Governor-elect, made available after the court sitting on Thursday, said the admissibility of the documents tendered so far would be challenged at Adeleke and PDP’s final written addresses.
“We affirm that ongoing tendering of documents by counsel to Mr. Gboyega Oyetola is not in any way an indication of judicial victory over Senator Ademola Adeleke. In any case, before the law today, APC had no candidate for the July 16th election.
“The petitioners have time allotted to them. We will be challenging the admissibility of many of the submitted documents in our final addresses after which the panel will deliver ruling in their judgements. This implies that there is nothing special or spectacular about the ongoing presentation.
“We should all be aware that after the petitioners have presented their case, the defence team will take turns to also make a presentation. We will also present documents, call witnesses and submit hard materials. Our case suffers no setback as nothing has happened that signifies any positive turn of event for the petitioner,” Oke explained.
The defence team further berated the APC for engaging in media trial by pretending to be achieving mileage when the so called documents are just results sheets duly signed by APC agents and purported BVAS report.
“Rather than submitting the documents at a sitting, the APC further staggered the submissions across three days in a bid to sustain a false narrative of good showing at the Tribunal. We accused the APC of a failed bid to win public sympathy as the exercise further confirms that Governor Oyetola has no chance of stopping the will of Osun people from materializing.”
Also speaking on the subject, the Osun State PDP Caretaker Chairman, Adekunle Akindele, said the party was silent since Wednesday on the court proceedings because of the bereavement within the Adeleke family, wondering why APC operatives were embarking on false propaganda at a time of mourning for a prominent son of the state.
“We have remained silent on the court matter because these are trying days for a top son of Osun state, Mr. Davido and the entire Adeleke family. Let me reassure our people that Mr. Oyetola is just continuing his failed media propaganda as nothing incriminating or damaging has happened to our Governor-elect at the Tribunal.
“Our defence remains as solid as ever. The victory of PDP is a reality that cannot be upturned by a man who is not even a candidate in the election he is challenging”, the party chairman stated.
He noted that, “it is elementary that in judicial proceedings, petitioner and defence teams normally have allotted time to present their cases”, wondering “what tickles petitioners with mere documents presentation at the Tribunal.
“It is even surprising that the outgoing Governor and his APC who earlier declared that the petition will be the fastest are those now playing at the Tribunal while their time wastes away, yet dishing out lies and false narratives to members of the public in their desperate media voyage”.
“Let them know they are chasing shadows. Osun people have decided”, the party Chairman concluded.