…As Tribunal Warns Adebutu’s Supporters Against Misleading Public
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Thursday admitted documents from counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Oladipupo Adebutu, led by Goddy Uche, SAN, after changing the earlier mode of presentation, which was in conflict with the tribunal procedure rules.
Recall that counsel to the respondents, namely: the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on Tuesday raised objections against the failure of counsel to the petitioners to have presented envisaged undisputed documents through the bar before presenting same before the panel, to allow all parties involved in the case to verify and authenticate, as stipulated by procedure rules.
It was at that point that the tribunal mandated the okaintiffs’ counsel to go back and allow other parties in the case to scrutinize and authenticate those documents to be tendered and come back today to re-present.
After complying with this directive, the documents were, thereafter, admitted provisionally by the tribunal, in response to the observation of one of the counsel to the respondents, who hinted the tribunal of the possibility of objections to some of the documents tendered by the petitioners counsel.
However, while the proceedings were still on, and documents still being tendered and admitted, some media outlets mischievously reported that all documents brought by Adebutu’s team had been admitted.
Counsel to one of the respondents called the attention of the tribunal to this misinformation, describing it as propaganda about the proceedings of the panel. The lead counsel to the petitioners was thereafter advised to warn his clients and their supporters against misleading the general public through sensationalized stories in the media.
Meanwhile, all parties agreed in principle that all documents should be admitted by the panel and objection should come in their final addresses, as the counsel to one of the petitioner, Goddy Uche, SAN, guided the court to allow him to call all his schedules out one by one and be marked in the court while the panel read confirmation to the court at the next sitting to ensure all documents are formally handed and presented to the court.
To that end, the first 126 pages were called and agreed to by the first, second and third respondents counsel, claiming to reserve comments till later date, as the petitioners’ lead counsel, Uche, SAN, informed the court in the process of the marking, that he already has his witnesses set and filed for the day.
