Osun guber: Tribunal admits Oyetola’s documentary evidence

Documentary evidence that lends credence to the claim that the July 16, 2022 governorship election in Osun State, leading to the declaration of Ademola Adeleke as governor-elect of the state was manipulated was on Tuesday admitted by the State Election Petition Tribunal hearing the suit filed by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to challenge Adeleke’s victory at the poll.

Some of the documents admitted in evidence were the INEC Regulation and Guideline for the election, INEC Manual for Electoral Officials, Forms EC8As which are election results for Osogbo, Ede North and Ede South local governments, among others.

At the hearing of the tribunal, counsel for Oyetola, Chief Lateef Fagbemi,(SAN), told the tribunal that the documentary evidence sought to be tendered had been cross-checked by the respondents and they all agreed that it should be tendered from the bar.

He then sought to tender the documents as listed on the schedule already submitted to the tribunal, which include the regulations and guidelines issued by INEC for the election.

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INEC’s counsel, Ananaba, raised an objection to all the documents which had already been certified by the commission.

One of the judges however queried: “You are raising objection even to your regulations?”

Ananaba, in response, insisted on objecting to all the documents as listed in the schedule and hinted that he would give reasons for his objection in the final written address.

Counsel for Adeleke, Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN), and the PDP, Alex Izinyon (SAN), also objected to the admissibility of the evidence and indicated that they would give reasons in their final addresses.

Responding to their objections, Fagbemi sought to tender another evidence which contained the ‘Schedule of the Documents’ to be tendered, but Ananaba again objected on the grounds that it was never pleaded.

The tribunal Chairman, Justice Tertsea Kume, thereafter, queried the INEC counsel and referred to his record where the counsel informed the court that he had cross-checked the schedule of documents and had no objection.

The INEC counsel thereafter withdrew his objection, while Adeleke and PDP’s counsel also raised no objection to the tendering of the documents.

In his ruling, the tribunal admitted in evidence all the documents tendered and marked them as exhibits.

Further hearing of the case has been fixed for Wednesday.