The Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal, Wednesday, continued its sittings with the petitioner, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in the last election in the state, Ladi Adebutu, calling witnesses from Ikenne Local Government, the home Local government of the Governor.
The witnesses from the Iperu-Remo hometown of the Governor testified against the governor and the All-Progressives Congress, APC.
PDP and Adebutu in the petition marked, EPT/OG/GOV/03/2023 are challenging the victory of Abiodun over an alleged non-compliance to the Electoral Act and corrupt practices during the election.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the lawyer to the petitioners, Gordy Uche (SAN) called more witnesses who were voters, party agents and members of the opposition party, from Iperu-Remo in Ikenne LG.
They were cross-examined by Dr. Remi Olatubora (SAN) representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Taiwo Osipitan (SAN) for Abiodun and Muiz Banire (SAN) who appeared for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The witnesses told the tribunal, in turn, how thugs allegedly loyal to the ruling party had invaded their respective polling units and disrupted voting and counting of votes during the election.
While being cross-examined, Oluwafunmilola Desalu recalled that when votes were about to be counted, masked men on different motorcycles stormed her polling unit and started shooting sporadically.
According to her, voters and INEC officials ran to safety and this, she said, brought about the cancellation of votes in the polling unit.
The prophetess expressed dissatisfaction that over 500 voters in Unit 006, Imosan in Ikenne Local Government were disenfranchised by the incident.
She, however, said she did not report the incident to the police, as the event was witnessed by the police and other security agents. deployed for the exercise.
On his part, Rafiu Akeem said the political thugs asked voters who were not voting for APC to vacate the units before they eventually disrupted the exercise.
“They (thugs) came to our polling unit and said, ‘If you know you’re not voting for APC, you must leave here now.’ That’s why everyone left.
“I didn’t report the matter at the police station because a police officer was on the ground and he witnessed all the drama and disruption of the process,” he said.
Hakeem, who is a trader from Iperu, during the cross-examination told the tribunal that his witness statement was not written by him.
Another witness, Olufunmilola Desalu, a fashion designer also from Iperu admitted that her statement was the same as that of another witness, Abiodun Sotinwa, she claimed not to have authored the witness statement.
The two statements were discovered to be the same after counsel to INEC cross-examined her.
When further grilled by the INEC counsel on the reason for the similarities, she responded: “I think my lawyer is in a better position to answer that question.”
PDP and Adebutu have so far called about 35 witnesses out of 120 listed to give testimony before the tribunal chaired by Justice Hamidu Kunaza.
