Tribunal set to rule on Oyo gov election

By Niyi Adebimpe, Stephen Gbadamosi and Dolapo Ekanade - 27.02.2008

PARTIES before the Oyo State election petition tribunal on Tuesday adopted their final addresses just as the panel, now presided over by Justice Teni Yusuf Hassan, reserved ruling indefinitely in the petition brought by the All Nigeria Peoples Party’s candidate, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, challenging the declaration of Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala as governor.

Justice Hassan from the Kano State High Court is next in rank to Sidi Bage who has since been elevated to the Court of Appeal.

She informed parties that they would be contacted later on the date when the judgment would be delivered.

Addressing the court, Niyi Akintola counsel for the petitioner, Ajimobi, Chief Makanjuola Esan for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Prince Lateef Fagbemi, for Alao-Akala, all Senior Advocate of Nigeria, while adopting their written submissions to highlighted some points in their addresses and advance their arguments urging the tribunal to give judgment in their favour.

Fagbemi urged the court to dismiss the indictment against his client, saying that the panel should not give it the slightest insight, as his client was not convicted of any offence.

He added that the irregularities in the electoral results in Ogbomosho were as a result of normal human errors, which were not enough to nullify Akala’s election.

Akintola, said contrary to the claim of the opposing counsel, he had substantially proved electoral malpractice and violence in some areas in Ogbomosho and prayed the court to declare his client the winner or alternatively, order fresh elections in affected areas.

Esan, in his own address, argued that the petitioner failed to demonstrate or show through substantial evidence that electoral malpractice substantially affected the outcome of the election results and urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety.

Meanwhile, Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, held a closed-door meeting that lasted for about one hour at Adedibu’s Molete residence in Ibadan.

Though, the subject of their meeting could not be ascertained as at press time, a source at the politician’s residence said it might not be unconnected with what to expect from the state tribunal.

But an aide of Adedibu who did not want to be named said the Deputy Chief of Staff of the governor, Alhaji Gbadegesin Kareem, who was with the governor, was not part of the discussion, adding that what the two politicians discussed was not yet known to any of their aides.

While reacting, Adedibu’s spokesman, Alhaji Lukuman Agboluaje, said it was not out of place for the two to meet, adding however, that he could not confirm what was discussed at the meeting.