Osun Governorship Election: Photos of Governor Adeleke in graduation gown presented before tribunal

Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday presented an album of photographs of himself kitted in graduation gown before the Osun State election petition tribunal in Osogbo.

He accompanied the album with academic certificates and transcripts of Atlanta Metropolitan State College and Pen Foster High School which the governor claimed he attended in the United States.

A certified true copy of a judgement of the Appeal Court that discharged Mr Adeleke of an accusation of forgery was also presented before the tribunal.

The academic credentials and court judgement were brought to the tribunal by Bunmi Jenyo, a personal assistant to the governor.

Mr Jenyo appeared as a witness before the tribunal, claiming that the photographs of Mr Adeleke in a graduation gown were taken on the day of his graduation with a diploma on 6 May, 2021.

One of the allegations by the petitioners challenging Mr Adeleke’s victory in the 16 July governorship election is that he forged the academic certificates he presented for the election.

But when cross-examined by Akin Olujimi, SAN, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Jenyo said he attended the graduation ceremony in the U.S. and also took pictures with him at the ceremony.

“I traveled to the United States for the graduation. I arrived at the airport on 6th May, 2021 for the graduation and I have my passport here as evidence,” he said.

“I was part of the people in the photographs taken on the day of the graduation. The second respondent is also in the photograph. I attended the graduation ceremony,” he added.

“I have been a friend to the second petitioner for 10 years. Since our friendship, the second respondent has not been convicted for submitting forged certificates or documents,” he said.

“My duty is to keep his personal documents. He authorised me to come to the court with the documents that I presented.”

After Mr Olujimi said he would reserve his objection on the International passport of the witness as tendered for evidence till final address, the tribunal chairman, Tertsea Kume, admitted his Nigerian passport as exhibit

There was over voting in six polling units – Forensic expertMeanwhile, a statistician and digital forensic examiner, Samuel Oduntan, said forensic examination of the election results and BVAS machines used in the July 16 governorship election showed over voting in six polling units.

Mr Oduntan, who had earlier appeared as a witness before the tribunal, said he also carried out physical inspection of the BVAS machines and detected over voting in the six polling units.

The forensic examiner was cross-examined by the principal counsel of the petitioners and the respondents.

At Thursday’s sitting, the Deputy Director in the ICT department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abimbola Oladunjoye, had also said there were “seemingly over votings” in some polling units.

In his evidence, Mr Oduntan said he arrived at the final result after using the forms EC8A, EC8B series containing election results to analyse the form BVR series, containing reports of the BVAS machines.

Explaining how the forensic analysis were carried out, the forensic and digital expert said he extracted information from the BVAS machines and analysed it with the result of the election.

The forensic examiner, who also presented his qualification certificate that certified him as a forensic examiner before the tribunal, said the forensic examination was conducted under the supervision of officials of INEC.

The tribunal chairman, Mr Kume, subsequently admitted the forensic report as exhibit subject to the response of the counsel to the petitioners who said he reserved his observation till the final address.

Justice Kume however adjourned the case till 13 January, 2023 for the adoption of final written address.

The sitting ended at exactly 7:12 p.m.