The Independent National Electoral Commission have line up 160 witnesses to testify on its behalf at the Oyo state governorship election petition tribunal sitting in the state capital, Ibadan.
According to The Nation, this information was disclosed by Sikiru Sanni, who held fort for INEC’s lead counsel, Yusuf Ali (SAN) at the tribunal yesterday.
According to Sanni, the witnesses would be selected from the 33 local governments to prove to the tribunal that INEC conducted free, fair and credible elections in the state.
Recall that the Accord candidate in the April 11 governorship poll, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, challenged the declaration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the polls as declared by INEC.
Ladoja, a former governor of the state, joined the APC, Dr. Rufus Akeju, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and INEC as co-respondents.
Chief Richard Ogunwole (SAN) represented the first and second petitioners. Olumuyiwa Aduroja (SAN) and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) were counsel to the first and second respondents, while Ali led a team of lawyers for the third and fourth respondents.
He prayed the court to adjourn the case till tomorrow to enable him gather his witnesses.
He said: “We have substantial witnesses to present to this tribunal within the five days allotted to us. We promise to utilise the time allotted to us judiciously.”
Meanwhile, the lead counsel to the second respondent, Chief Akeredolu, who ought to present his witnesses yesterday, closed his case without presenting any witness.
He said: “We are not presenting any witness because we have light evidence presented by the petitioner’s counsel. We will not want to waste the time of this panel by presenting any witness.”
Meanwhile, Ajimobi has announced his intention to go back to school as a full-time doctoral student as he had reportedly obtained a PhD form from the University of Ibadan.
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