TheCable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday, presented form CF001, containing the academic certificates of Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, before the state’s election petition tribunal.

Following an application by Gboyega Oyetola, immediate past Osun governor, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tertsea Kume, the tribunal chairman, had ordered INEC to produce the nomination form and copies of the academic certificates used by Adeleke to contest the 2018 governorship election.

In a petition dated August 5, Oyetola and the APC had asked the court to nullify Adeleke’s election on the claim that he “presented forged certificates” to INEC.

Paul Ananaba, lead counsel to INEC, informed the court on Thursday that the requested documents had been brought from Abuja by Joan Arabs, a deputy director.

Arabs, thereafter, presented the documents to the court.

According to NAN, Lateef Fagbemi, counsel to the petitioners (APC and Oyetola), after going through the documents, told the tribunal that they were not legible and could not be used to prosecute their case.

Fagbemi said on the first document — a copy of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) result — only the signature at the bottom was legible.

He also said the second document — the school testimonial obtained from Ede Muslim Grammar School by Adeleke — does not have the address of the school on it.

The petitioners’ counsel urged the tribunal to take note of their objections to the documents produced by INEC.

The tribunal chairman upheld the objection of the petitioners and ruled that INEC had not fully complied with the order to produce form CF001, as the documents produced were not legible.

The tribunal chairman then ordered that INEC should produce clearer and readable copies of the documents.

INEC counsel then asked the tribunal to allow it take and present a screenshot of the documents in its custody in Abuja, so that the hearing could go on.

Kume granted the request and gave a break of 90 minutes, after which INEC presented printed copies of the documents’ screenshot.

The tribunal chairman, however, said the copies were not better than what the INEC deputy director brought.

After the arguments and submissions from counsel to both parties, they agreed that the original file containing the form CF001, in INEC’s custody in Abuja, be brought before the tribunal next week.

Kume then adjourned the hearing till December 3, adding that if INEC failed to comply with the order, it would compel the tribunal to invoke its power.