The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has admitted an alleged jail booking record and incident report from the Florida Metropolitan Police as evidence against Governor Dapo Abiodun. The documents were tendered by Chris Uche SAN, counsel for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, who are challenging Governor Abiodun’s victory in the March 18 election on the grounds of perceived non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
During the hearing, one of the PDP’s star witnesses, Oyejide Sunkanmi, the state youth leader of the party, provided evidence against Governor Abiodun, referring to the alleged jail booking record and incident report from Florida Metropolitan Police, which had accused Abiodun in the buildup to the election.
The Tribunal also admitted into evidence a picture showing thugs on motorcycles allegedly carting away ballot boxes, as well as a preloaded top-up card allegedly used for vote buying during the election.
Additionally, two letters written by the PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), complaining about the breach of the principle of margin lead, were also tendered as evidence.
Counsel for INEC and Governor Abiodun reserved their objections to the admissibility of the documents until their final written addresses. Dr. Remi Olatubora (SAN), representing INEC, described the documents as “cancerous,” stating that they were not true and not properly pleaded. The objections will be addressed in the final stages of the trial.
The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal continues to examine the evidence presented by the parties involved, as it seeks to determine the outcome of the election dispute.
