Ogun State Governorship Poll: Adebutu attempting to railroad court in admitting documents, says lawyer

The counsel to the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC, Kunle Kalejaiye in the election petition written by the Governorship Candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Ladi Adebutu, on Tuesday accused Adebutu of attempt to railroad the court into admitting documents as evidence.

Penpushing reports that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (APC) made this known to the court in reaction to a Ghana-Must-Go bag of evidence brought by the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is currently in United Kingdom.

The lawyer argued that the application to tendered the documents, as exhibit was served on the party very late, stressing that he was just seeing it on Monday, and that the petitioner should give the legal team to go through the documents instead of attempt to railroad the panel in admitting as evidence

“The application was served on us very late yesterday (Monday) and I am just seeing it today. The petitioner should give us enough time to allow us go through the documents, instead of attempting to railroad the court into admitting them as evidence’,  Kalejaiye said.

Penpushing further reports that in similar vein, counsel to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Peter Olatunbora, objected to Adebutu’s lawyer, George Uche prayers, arguing that the petitioners should have availed the respondents with the documents before presenting them before the court.

The counsel to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kehinde Ogunwunmiju, in his own submission also asked the court not to admit the documents as evidence, arguing that the petitioner did not follow the laid down procedure for presenting documents before the court.

Penpushing also reports that Ogunwunmiju prayed the court to give the respondents three days to allow them inspect the documents before admitting same as evidence, while Uche in response told the panel that he had served the three respondents.

The lawyer emphasized that those served include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC)) a 98-page schedule of all the documents the petitioner would be tendering before the court.

Penpushing reports he added that the documents included Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) forms, BVAS reports, ECAs, voters’ registers and printed IREV results, and therefore  prayed the court to allow him call his witnesses for the commencement of trial.

Meanwhile the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Hamidu Kunaza, ruling on the submissions gave the respondents two days to see the documents, adding that proper hearing will begin on Thursday at the court.

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