*Adjourns to June 12
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ibadan on Tuesday, commenced hearing in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial candidate for Oyo South Senatorial district, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, challenging the victory of Chief Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the petition marked: EPT/ OY/ SEN/04/2023, Chief Tegbe is asking the Justice A. M. Yakubu led tribunal to order a rerun of the election, alleging that Alli failed to garner the majority lawful votes in the election which constituted non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral law.
Sequel to the subpoena served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to produce some election materials including BVAS report, the electoral body directed Mrs. Fiyinfoluwa Ajiboye (Assistant Chief Legal Officer), who brought the certified true copies of the materials as requested.
Mrs Ajiboye presented the materials and they were admitted and marked as exhibits to be used in the trial of the case.
Otunba Kunle Kalejaye (SAN) led the team of counsel for the petitioner which comprised: Oladipo Olasope (SAN), Sanya Akinyele, Y.A. Azees, Chief Folake Ajayi, Yusuff O. Anikulapo, Yusuff Ogunrinde, Joseph Adeoye and others. The 1st and 2nd Respondents (Alli and the APC) were represented by Adeboye Soboyejo; while the 3rd Respondent (INEC) was represented by Osita Mbambanu.
Otunba Kalejaye however informed the tribunal that the petitioner would still have to file another application for subpoena to compel the INEC Chairman to produce some other essential materials which the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state said were not in his custody but at Abuja.
While the INEC counsel did not object to the tendering of the documents presented, the respondents’ counsel objected to their admissibility, stressing that: “We will be objecting to the admissibility of the documents, but we will reserve our argument till our final written address”.
Having put in all the subpoeaned documents, Kalejaye sought adjournment and the tribunal adjourned to June 12, 2023 for continuation of hearing.
Joseph Tegbe was present in court but Senator Sarafadeen Alli was not.
