Ogun tribunal: PDP witnesses admit not reading witness statements

The witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, told the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, they didn’t read the witness statements.

It would be recalled that the tribunal, last Thursday, admitted undisputed documents presented by the PDP, as their counsel informed the panel of their readiness to start calling witnesses as scheduled.

However, among the PDP members who were called during the cross-examination was Ibuowo Ogunbowale, from Sabo in Sagamu, who was accused of disrupting the electoral process after realizing that his party was losing at his polling unit.

Ogunbowale was cross-examined by one of the counsels for the respondents, Folake Akinlawon, and agreed to be a member of PDP and a former aspirant on the platform of the party, though he denied his involvement in the crisis that rocked his polling unit.

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Another witness, Adeleye Ayomide, also from Sagamu and a member of PDP, who was cross-examined by INEC and APC counsels, affirmed that his lawyers gave him the witness paper and was not aware of the content, while he shockingly confessed that he didn’t agree with the provision of the electoral law which stipulates that voters should quietly vacate polling units after voting.

None of them worked as party agents during the elections or confirmed being molested in any way during the exercise to establish a case of violence against their members as it was alleged by their party.

Another PDP witness, Kehinde Soboyejo, also opted for cutlass as an object of oath-taking.

However, it was revealed after being cross-examined by INEC counsel that he registered in two polling units.

In another development, Adijat Ayodele, who was also called to testify in favour of PDP admitted not to have read her witness statement before appending her signature.

In the same vein, Faisal Yusuf, from Ijoko in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, who also came to testify in favour of PDP, told the tribunal that he had been a trader for the past 30 years. Contrary to his claim, his voter’s card marked BT 591 read that he was a civil servant.

The Star