POLITICS

Adeleke: Tribunal Rejects Newly-Elected Governor’s Certificate Presented by INEC

A report by The Nation has stated that the tribunal hearing the petition by the former governor of Osun state, Adegboyega Oyetola, challenging Ademola Adeleke’s victory rejected the document which was earlier submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission because it is blurry.

At the tribunal, Justice Tertse Kume compelled the headquarters of the electoral body to present the certificates of Adeleke after the Osun branch of INEC refused to present the certificate.

The counsel to INEC, Paul Ananaba, during the sitting informed the tribunal that INEC’s chairman had sent the commission’s deputy director, Joan Arabs, with the Certified True Copies of the documents.

On the presentation of the 8-page document, Ananaba sought the court’s permission for the bearer of the document to leave because she had a scheduled flight to catch to Abuja .

In his reaction, the counsel to All Progressives Congress (APC), Lateef Fagbemi, said that while N305,000 was paid for the documents, two out of the eight pages brought before the court by INEC are not legible and blurry.

Fagbemi’s words: “WAEC GCE Certificate of Education content is not legible except for signature and Testimonial obtained from Ede Muslim Grammar School is not clear.”

Further reacting to Fegbemi’s submission, Ananaba said that the INEC official can not answer on the legibility of the documents submitted by the commission to the tribunal.

Having heard all the arguments, Justice Kume adjourned the matter till Saturday, December 3, to allow the electoral body present clearer documents before the court.

 

 

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun, Mutiu Agboke, says the commission is no longer in possession of Senator Ademola Adeleke’s Form CF 001 used in the 2018 governorship election.

Form CF 001 is the nomination form and all its attachments, including the certificates used in the 2018 election.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, November 22, in Osogbo, counsel to the petitioners, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), reminded the tribunal of the subpoena it granted and served on REC on November 15, The Punch reported.

Olujinmi told the tribunal that the subpoena on REC has yet to be obeyed, so his second witness in the petition could not be called.

According to him, the testimony of the witness would be based on the said documents.

 

 

Counsel for the first respondent, INEC, Paul Ananaba, told the court that the REC had sent a representative to appear before the tribunal on the order of the subpoena.

The REC representative, Sheu Mohammed, who is INEC Deputy Director on Election and Party Management, told the tribunal that the said Adeleke’s Form CF 001 was no longer with the commission in the state.

Mohammed said after the 2018 governorship election, the said documents were submitted to INEC headquarters in Abuja, adding that they only have the photocopies of the said documents in the state.

The petitioners’ counsel said the REC had the duty to go to INEC headquarters to obtain the said documents.

But, Ananaba disagreed with the petitioners’ counsel, adding that REC could not order INEC headquarters to produce the said certificate.

Leave a Comment