.Advises Petitioners to Close Case
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State Capital, has appealed to the petitioners to stop manifesting laxity in the prosecution of their case, urging them to rather close their case than wasting the precious time of the court.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Action Alliance (AA) are challenging the victory of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the June 20 Governorship Election.
But last week Wednesday, counsel to the petitioners, Dr Chukwudebelu Nnamdi, had sought a seven-day adjournment to be able to assemble witnesses, which was granted.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, the Chairman of the three- man tribunal panel, Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi, said it was disappointing that the counsel who represented the petitioners, Mr Ebenezer Akinbuli could raise issue of unavailability or unpreparedness of witnesses after seven days of adjournment.
Justice Kutigi fumed over the lackadaisical and unseriousness of the petitioner’s counsel to still claiming that he had no time to reach out to witnesses, or prepare them to give evidence, after taking seven days adjournment.
The panel was particularly miffed by the inability of the petitioner’s counsel to prepare the witnesses for the rigours of giving evidence which was evident in their perceived poor performance inside the witness box.
The tribunal was incensed that the counsel to the petitioners failed to put his house in order and assemble witnesses and shape them up to prosecute their case.
“If you have no serious witnesses to testify, you better close your case at this time and save us from wasting our time here. Let the respondents begin with their defence.
“You took a week adjournment here last week with intention that you will assemble your witnesses and prepare them well for today only for you now to say you couldn’t reach out to them. Let us be serious with what we are doing here.
“Does that mean you took that one week for fun? You took it to just go and enjoy yourself?”, Justice Kutigi asked.
Pleading with the jurists, Akinbuli tendered apology and took the blame for the snag being encountered in the assemblage of witnesses in the case.
“My lord, I am sorry. I have to take the blame for this. I wasn’t around throughout the seven days. I was busy on the field moving around. The witnesses are available. I will present them tomorrow, so I plead we adjourn now till tomorrow.”
However, the petitioners called four witnesses to testify in court to in continuation of the hearing of the case.
In her testimony, Taiwo Morgan, who was the SDP collation agent for Ise/ Orun Local Government during the poll, failed to pronounce the name of the second respondent (Biodun Oyebanji) properly, which sparked up a wild laughter in court.
Others who gave evidence in court included Folasayo Fatayo, Akinsehinwa Ogunniyi, and Sunday Omoyajowo.
They were all grilled during cross-examination by counsel to INEC, Mr Tunde Salako and counsel to Oyebanji, Dr Ademola Ikujuni and Mr Ibukun Fasanmi.
The Tribunal adjourned till Friday, October 16 for the continuation of hearing of the petition.