Tribunal Fixes Date For Hearing On Ogun Governorship Election Petition
...we are more interested in the merit of our petition - Adebutu
ABEOKUTA – The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta on Thursday had fixed July 5, 2023 for hearing of the Ogun state governorship election petition.
The PDP governorship candidate in Ogun state, Honorable Oladipupo Adebutu had dragged the All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun and INEC before the Election Petition Tribunal over alleged electoral manipulation.
Adebutu had on June 6, 2023 filed a motion on notice before the tribunal seeking to strike out some of the paragraphs of the second respondent, Prince Dapo Abiodun’s response to his petition filed on May 22, 2023.
Adebutu had prayed the tribunal to grant him the honour to add evidence of vote buying by the second respondent to his earlier petition.
In a counter motion affidavit, Abiodun argued that, Adebutu’s application was statute-barred and as such lacked merit.
But the Tribunal Chairman, Hamidu Gonaza struck out the application for lack of merit.
He said, “I know this application is unmeritous and decided to fail and hereby dismiss.”
Responding to the ruling, counsel to the petitioner Barr. Olumuyiwa Obanewa, expressed regret that the tribunal rejected his request to strike out the respondent’s application.
Obanewa argued that, with the submission of all applications, the petitioner, Hon. Adebutu is more interested in the tribunal hearing the petition on its merit.
He said, “the tribunal, like they did on Monday, did not agree with us, saying that as respondents, they have very space, latitude to now include whatever they like, in their respondents reply to our petition, that they are not restricted by the provisions of the shedule to the Electoral Act 2022.
“So, in summary, just like it did on Monday, they did not agree with us. However, the matter was now set for trial and will be hear on the 4th of July for documents that are not being opposed to be admitted by the tribunal and then for trial to commence on the following day, 5th of July.
“We are more interested in the petition on its merit. We have reached the point at which where the tribunal will hear the merit of our petition, to know whether what we have filed is competent or not.
“All of these applications have now been taken care of. We will now go to trial.”
