The documents that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) approved and gave to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola following the 2022 governorship election have been refuted by INEC’s legal representative, Paul Ananaba, SAN, at the Election Petition Tribunal.
Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the attorney for Oyetola, presented the INEC Regulation and Guideline for the Election, INEC Manual for Electoral Officials, and Forms EC8As, which include election results for the Osogbo, Ede North, and Ede South local governments, among others, at yesterday’s hearing of the tribunal.
Ananaba, the attorney for INEC, objected to the documents after they were tendered in the courtroom presided over by Justice Tertse Kume. The documents had already been certified by the commission.
He refused to provide his approval to the documents that the commission had certified as true copies (CTC). By objecting to the materials indicated in the schedule, Ananaba insisted, giving the impression that he would explain his opposition in the written address that would be delivered in the end.
Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN), counsel for Adeleke, and Alex Izinyon (SAN), counsel for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), both opposed to the admission of the evidence and said they will explain their objections in their closing remarks.
In response to their objections, Fagbemi attempted to provide another piece of evidence that included the “Schedule of the Documents” to be submitted, but Ananaba once more objected on the grounds that it was never pleaded.
Justice Kume ruled that the documents submitted by the attorney representing Oyetola were accepted and designated as exhibits.
The list of the papers to be submitted at the following sitting had been given to the respondents’ counsel for cross-checking, the petitioners’ lawyer informed the tribunal after the decision, therefore the tendering of further documents will continue on Wednesday (today) and Friday.
The tribunal subsequently decided to postpone the hearing until the next day (Wednesday).
