2023 LAGOS GOVERNORSHIP TRIBUNAL: APC PRIMARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN DEFENDS CONDUCT OF EXERCISE IN PDP’S PETITION
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Alh. Adamu Shettima Dibal, a former Borno State Deputy Governor and witness in the ongoing petition filed against Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu and his Deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, by the Peoples Democratic Party’s Candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor), has confirmed that, during the All Progressives Congress Governorship primary election, representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission Headquarters and Lagos State Office led by one Akanbi Gabriel Abidakun, were present and they signed a report on the conduct of the election.
He mentioned this while giving evidence before the three-member tribunal led by Justice Arum Ashom, on Tuesday, at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja.
The public servant, while giving answers to questions raised during cross-examination by Adetunji Oyeyipo, the first respondent’s counsel (INEC), mentioned that at the conclusion of the Lagos APC gubernatorial primary election which he was chairman to a five-member committee to, held on 26th of May, 2022, he submitted a copy of the report on the conduct of the election to Lagos State office of INEC where it was signed.
“Were officers from INEC headquarters and the state office present at the primary?
– Yes, they were
And they all signed the report?
– Yes
Look at the portion signed by INEC Lagos, who led the team
-Akanni Gabriel Abidakun.”
Alh. Shettima added that the report that confirmed the conduction of the party primaries was also signed by some members of the National working committee step up by the party for the primaries.
Counsel to the petitioner, Clement Onwuenwenor, during cross-examination, asked the witness if there was a notice from the party to INEC informing them of the primaries.
He responded in the affirmative while confirming to tribunal that, the document shown to him by the counsel, was a report for confirming the conduct of the election. He added that the Lagos State chairman of the APC, Cornelius Ojelabi didn’t flout any electoral regulation when he wrote to the Lagos chapter of INEC to notify it of the party’s primary election.
“This is the notice for the primary election. It was authored by Hon. Cornelious O. Ojelabi, the Lagos State Chairman of the party as at 24th May, 2022 and not the National Chairman.
The counsel further asked, “By APC’s guidelines, is it the national or state office that conducts a governorship primary election?
Witness: it is the national working committee that sets up the states’ committees who will then conduct the primary election in all the 36 states.” he said.
The second and third respondent announced closure of their case after the fifth and sixth respondent mentioned that they do not have questions for the witness.
Justice Arum Ashom thereafter discharged the witness, leaving the fourth respondent to open it’s defense on Wednesday, 12th of July, 2023.
Earlier in the proceedings, Mr Sanwo-olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat had announced the commencement their defense in the petition through its lead counsel, Bode Olanipekun.
While leading the examination-in-chief, Olanipekun, asked the witness if he monitored the primary election that produced the candidates (Sanwo-olu and Hamzat) and also to identify a copy of the report made while tendering a certified true copy of the report and receipt before the tribunal.
Shettima confirmed that he was at the party’s primary elections to monitor the proceedings while adding that he signed the results as well.
The petitioner’s counsel Clement Onwuenwenor, however, objected to the documents on grounds that it was unlisted and also not front loaded.
The fifth respondent’s counsel, Olagbade Benson, while also objecting said, “We shall be objecting to the documents on paragraph 12 sub-paragraph 3 of the first schedule to the electoral act. They were never front loaded or listed by the second and third respondents. My Lords, full reasons shall be advanced in our final written addresses.”
Meanwhile, the tribunal ruled that the documents be adopted and marked as exhibits R16 and R17 respectively.
The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the March 18, 2023 Lagos state governorship election, Abdulazeez Adediran (a.k.a. Jandor), instituted the petition challenging the victory of Governor Sanwo-Olu at the polls.
Jandor accused the governor of allegedly presenting a forged WAEC certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Petitioner also accused the deputy governor, Obafemi Hazmat of not including his oath of declaration in his INEC Nomination Form (EC9), and that the APC did not comply with the Electoral Act when nominating both men.
Jandor, who emerged third in the election, closed his petition last week after presenting oral and documentary evidence.
The respondents in the petition are INEC, Messrs Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, the APC, the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour who came second.
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