Abiodun and APC Ask Appeal Court to Dismiss the Appeal Filed by Adebutu and PDP

Governor Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressive Congress (APC), have asked the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, to dismiss the appeal filed by the Ogun State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Ladi Adebutu against the judgement of the State Governorship Poll Tribunal.

The Tribunal, in its last September 30 judgement, had dismissed the petition filed by Adebutu and the PDP, to challenge the election of the Governor in the March 18 poll.

Lead counsel to the Governor and the APC, told a three member panel of Judges of the Appellate Court on Tuesday, to dismiss Adebutu’s appeal for lack of merit.

Lead counsel to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), A. Owonikoko told the Appeal Court that Adebutu only called 48 witnesses, but failed to call all the 49,000 persons he claimed to have been disenfranchised, during the March 18 poll.

Read Also:

Abuja High Court Grants Bail to Emefiele from the Custody of EFCC

Also, the Governor’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, argued that the Supreme Court in its decision on Atiku versus INEC, had addressed the issues raised by Adebutu in his appeal.

The APC counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, asked the court to dismiss the petition on the ground that all Adebutu’s witnesses who could have given evidence in his petition had done so on subpoena, but were rejected by the poll petition tribunal.

But Adebutu’s lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche said the March 18 poll did not take place in 99 polling units, resulting in 41,000 eligible voters being excluded.

He also told the court that INEC utilized 37,000 ballot papers utilized which were either not thumb printed or carried multiple thumb prints.

The counsel said Abiodun’s election would have been cancelled, if the 41,000 votes of the alleged disenfranchised persons and 37,000 ballot papers were counted.

The Appeal Court had reserved its judgement to a date to be communicated to all the parties later.