PDP tenders ‘jail record’ against Abiodun at tribunal

The Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, on Wednesday, tendered an alleged jail booking record and incident report from Florida Metropolitan Police, US as evidence before the Ogun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal where they are challenging the election of Governor Dapo Abiodun.

The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Abiodun the winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state.

But the PDP and Adebutu rejected the result and approached the tribunal praying that Abiodun’s election be nullified.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, counsel for Adebutu and the PDP, Chris Uche (SAN), called one of their star witnesses, the Ogun State PDP youth leader, Oyejide Sunkanmi, to give evidence against Abiodun.

Oyejide, in his witness statement he deposed to, referred to an alleged jail booking record and incident report from Florida Metropolitan Police, US against Abiodun.

Uche tendered the documents and they were admitted as evidence in support of the PDP and Adebutu’s case.

The opposition party had in the build-up to the governorship election alleged that Abiodun was jailed in Miami Dade Florida, USA for credit card fraud in 1986.

The tribunal also admitted in evidence a picture of thugs on motorcycles allegedly carting away ballot boxes.

It also admitted a preloaded top-up card allegedly used for vote-buying during the election.

Two letters written by the PDP to INEC, complaining about the breach of the principle of margin lead, were also tendered and admitted in evidence.

Counsel for INEC, Dr Remi Olatubora (SAN), counsel for Abiodun, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), and counsel for the APC, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), all reserved their objections to the admissibility of the documents till their final written addresses.

Olatubora described the documents as “cancerous”, saying, “These documents for example are not true, they are not pleaded.”

The opposition party had in the build-up to the governorship election alleged that Abiodun was jailed in Miami Dade Florida, USA for credit card fraud in 1986.

The tribunal also admitted in evidence a picture of thugs on motorcycles allegedly carting away ballot boxes.

It also admitted a preloaded top-up card allegedly used for vote-buying during the election.

Two letters written by the PDP to INEC, complaining about the breach of the principle of margin lead, were also tendered and admitted in evidence.

Counsel for INEC, Dr Remi Olatubora (SAN), counsel for Abiodun, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), and counsel for the APC, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), all reserved their objections to the admissibility of the documents till their final written addresses.

Olatubora described the documents as “cancerous”, saying, “These documents for example are not true, they are not pleaded.”