The immediate past governor of Osun state, Adegboyega Oyetola, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Saturday, December 3, closed their case before the election petition tribunal after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), presented the academic certificates of the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, before the panel.
Oyetola is challenging the victory of Adeleke at the July 16 governorship election in the state, alleging irregularities during the poll.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Tertse Kume, had during it sitting on Thursday, December 1, insisted that INEC produced before it a clearer certificate of Adeleke, having presented blurred copies during the proceedings.
At its resumed sitting on Saturday, the counsel to INEC, Henry Akunebo (SAN), informed the panel that the subpoena witness was in the court with original copy of form CF001 with the documents attached therein, The Vanguard reports.
INEC representative, Joan Arabs, was thereafter summoned to present the documents which she did and the copies were presented to the petitioners counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who acknowledged that it was legible.
Also, the counsel to Adeleke, Niyi Owolade, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), N. Oke (SAN), also acknowledged that the documents are legible.
Thereafter, Fagbemi sought to tender the documents as exhibit, but the respondents counsels objected to the admissibility of the documents, adding that it cannot be admitted in whole but the two pages that were said not to be legible.
The panel, while ruling on the matter, said that INEC has presented clearer copies of form CF001 for the second respondent used for 2018 election and it is admitted in evidence marked file D with all the accompanied attachments.
Fagbemi, thereafter, told the tribunal that petitioners have closed their case.
Consequently, the tribunal adjourned the case till December 20, 2023.
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