Declare Adebutu Governor, and the sky won’t fall, says the attorney for the Ogun tribunal

Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate for governor in Ogun State, urged the Election Petition Tribunal, which is based in Abeokuta, to declare him the state’s new governor and the election’s victor on Monday, claiming that the sky would not fall.

Chris Uche (SAN), the attorney for Adebutu, made this statement when the tribunal under Justice Hamidu Kunaza adopted the petitioners’ last written response.

Adebutu’s appeal against Abiodun was heard by the tribunal once more on Monday for the approval of final written addresses.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was accused of violating the Electoral Act and engaging in corrupt practises during the election by the PDP and Adebutu in a petition with the filing date of March 20, 2023 and the file number EPT/OG/GOV/03/2023.

The senior attorney pleaded with the election court to grant all of the requested reliefs, including Abiodun’s ban from running for office in the March 18 election.

In his request, Uche requested the tribunal to declare that all of the votes given to Abiodun by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were invalid and to declare the petitioner (Adebutu) the election’s legitimate victor.

“To find that the petitioner scored the majority of the lawful votes upon a proper calculation of the lawful votes cast in the election, excluding the votes earned by multiple thumbprinting and ticking of ballot papers under the supervision of INEC,” he said.

He asserts that the second respondent was unfairly given credit for around 40,891 votes that were actually influenced.

Uche stated that the petitioners used exhibits 456, 457, 576, 609, and 617 to support their claim on the election’s winning margin.

By summoning 94 witnesses who provided crucial evidence in the case, the petitioners, according to the counsel, “successfully discharged the burden of proof.”

The heavens won’t fall, Uche stated, “I urge my Lords to do justice by granting the reliefs sought in this matter.”

Dr. Remi Olatubora (SAN), counsel for INEC, requested the tribunal to dismiss the appeal “for being completely without merit and for being a complete waste of the judiciary’s valuable time” in adopting his final written address.

In his defence, he claimed that the petitioners had merely dropped the papers before the Tribunal, asserting that “all the bags and envelopes of evidence hauled into this Tribunal and tendered from the bar are absolutely inadmissible.”

Abiodun’s attorney, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), requested the Tribunal to deny the petition in a written statement on his behalf, claiming that none of the petitioners’ material was properly submitted or lawfully certified by the proper authorities.

He referred to every piece of evidence presented by the petitioners as “worthless, valueless, baseless, and should have been voided at the outset.”

According to the law, a document that is not signed has no value. A petition cannot be filed on the basis of the margin of lead principle. In light of this, Olanipekun pleaded with their lordships to reject the petition.

Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, an attorney for the APC, claimed that while the petitioners claimed there was non-compliance in six local governments, they omitted to specify any voting unit.

Additionally, he claimed that the image and video of purported political thugs on bikes who interfered with votes had nothing to do with the polling place.

Ikpeazu offered, “We respectfully asked my lords to dismiss the plea.