Trouble for Osun governor-elect Adeleke as tribunal admits more evidence tendered by Oyetola, APC

The Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has admitted in evidence, the Certified True Copies, CTC, of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, reports.

The report shows alleged over-voting in favour of Ademola Adeleke, during the July 16 governorship election in the state, Daily Nigerian reported.

Recall that Governor Oyetola and APC had on August 5 submitted a petition before the tribunal in Osogbo, challenging the election results from 749 polling units across 10 local government areas of the state for various alleged electoral malpractice, especially over-voting.

At the resumed hearing of the tribunal in Osogbo, Counsel to Oyetola, Dr Saka Layoonu, SAN, while formally tendering the documents, informed the tribunal that the evidence had been jointly cross-checked by both parties, the secretariat of the tribunal and confirmed to be accurate.

Counsel to INEC, Jamiu Olabode, however, objected to the admissibility of the documents but said that he would state his reasons in the final written address.

Similarly, Counsel to Adeleke, Niyi Owolade and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Nathaniel Oke, also objected the admissibility of the documents tendered by the petitioners.

They, however, said they would state the reasons in their final written addresses.

Mr Oke also called the attention of the tribunal to what he described as imbalance reportage of the proceedings from court by some media houses.

“My Lords, we are not comfortable with the reports of proceedings by pressmen in this court,” he said.

In his ruling, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Tertsea Kume, admitted in evidence all the documents tendered by the petitioners and marked them as exhibits.

Mr Kume adjourned continuation of the hearing until Nov. 16. On the issues of imbalance reportage raised by the PDP Counsel, Mr Kume asked for evidence to that effect.

“We cannot comment on what we don’t know, unless you come up with hard facts. “We are not here for social media commentaries,” he said.