Ogun Tribunal: Lawyers disapprove as Adebutu submits over 8,000 exhibits

The Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nominee, Ladi Adebutu, showed up at the Ogun State election petition tribunal on Tuesday with more than 8,000 documents and the lawyers for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the petitioners, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the respondents, were at odds.

Adebutu and the PDP’s attorney, Goddy Uche, stated at Tuesday’s resumed hearing that he had brought uncontested evidence to the tribunal’s attention.

However, the plea was turned down by INEC’s lawyer Remi Peter Olatunbora, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s counsel Kehinde Ogunwumiju, and the APC’s counsel Kunle Kalejaiye.

The attorneys for the respondents claim that they have only now seen the list of documents that will be submitted to the court today, and that the petitioner did not write to ask them for the inspection of the materials.

They said that the list of required documents to gain admission to the bar spanned 8,000 items and 98 pages of the schedule.

The respondents insisted on inspecting the documents, even though Adebutu’s counsel Uche maintained they were undisputed and exactly as received from INEC (the electoral umpire).

INEC’s legal counsel, Olatunbora, claimed that the documents had been removed from the commission weeks earlier, thus it is unclear whether or not they are still in the same form as those supplied by INEC.

I need verification that these papers came directly from INEC. Olatunbora pleaded with the judge to send everyone back to the INEC conference room to double-check the paperwork.

Uche replied by requesting that the attorneys be given till Wednesday to review the paperwork and then submit their arguments.

However, the attorneys for the second and third respondents asked for two days so they could review the 8,000 exhibits the petitioners had brought with them to court.

When the tribunal led by Hamidu Kunaza asked the respondents if their own documents were available, and they said no, the case took an unexpected turn.

Kunaza, who was frustrated with the outcome of the court case, said, “anybody that wants to go, should go.”

He recalled that he had ordered all parties to submit their evidence on Tuesday, and he wondered where the respondents were.

While representing INEC, Olatunbora stated that he would only be able to tender a small number of papers through the testimony of his witnesses.

Ogunwumiju and Kalejaiye also stated that they would submit the necessary paperwork to the court when the case was opened.

At the same time, the tribunal requested that the parties “come back on Thursday, 6th of July to admit all documents.”