There was drama at the resumed hearing of the Osun Governorship Election Tribunal on Wednesday, as the winesses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) made contradictory statements against testimonies they had earlier tendered in court.
While responding to a confirmation that they had tendered earlier in court that there was over voting, lack of ballot accounting in areas where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won at the election, the witnesses disagreed with the defendant’s counsel, Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), and agreed that there was ballot counting contrary to their allegations in their pleaded evidence.
According to the report by ThisDay newspaper, APC relied on witnesses from Ede, the hometown of the petitioner and PDP candidate in the election, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke, with which they sought to nullify PDP’s votes from the region.
Another attempt by the APC to present an electoral document through a subpoenaed witness, who was also the 3rd respondent’s Ward Collation Agent, was objected by the petitioner’s counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, who said it was an abuse of court process since the 2nd and 3rd respondents were both defendants in the case at hand.
After deliberations between both legal teams, the tribunal went on recess and returned after about 45minutes.
After announcing the decision to uphold the objection of the petitioner’s counsel, hearing was adjourned till Thursday.
