Lawyers Express Objections as INEC Staff Testify Against Governor Abiodun at Ogun Tribunal
On Tuesday, during the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, there was a heated dispute as two ad hoc staff from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were called to testify against Governor Dapo Abiodun. The testimonies were requested through a subpoena in relation to the petition filed by Ladi Adebutu from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, the counsel representing the respondents raised objections as they claimed they had not been properly served notice about the witnesses until Tuesday morning. Gordy Uche (SAN), the lead counsel, argued that the notice had been filed on Monday, but he believed it was served only yesterday.
In response, INEC’s counsel, Remi Olatubora, asserted that the subpoenaed witnesses’ identities needed to be verified before they could testify. He accused Uche of attempting to surprise them and emphasized the importance of ensuring the witnesses were genuine.
Governor Abiodun’s counsel, Taiwo Osipitan, also weighed in, stating that allowing the witnesses to testify would compromise their right to a fair hearing. Eventually, Uche requested that the witnesses be stepped down, a decision supported by Osipitan on behalf of the three respondents.
Meanwhile, Ladi Adebutu has called around 65 witnesses as the second week of the case commenced. Some of these witnesses, including Aina Adewale, Sowande Sunday, Ademola Adekunle, and Musa Lateef Oladimeji, testified on Tuesday. They claimed that political thugs disrupted the March 18 governorship election at their respective polling units in Sagamu and Abeokuta, leading to the cancellation of the election and the disenfranchisement of voters like Adewale, whose vote didn’t count due to the disturbances caused by the thugs.
