Ogun State Guber Petition Tribunal Admits Adebutu’s Documents, Warns Supporters

The Ogun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has admitted the documents presented by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, in support of their petitions against the electoral victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, the Tribunal, which is currently sitting in Abeokuta, the state capital, warned Adebutu’s supporters to desist from misinforming members of the public about its ongoing proceedings.

Led by Goddy Uche (SAN), the petitioners’ documents were admitted in evidence by the Tribunal after changing their earlier mode of presentation which conflicted with procedure rules.

With the Tribunal admitting the petitioners’ documents,

It was at that point that the tribunal mandated PDP’s counsel to go back and allow other parties in the case to scrutinise and authenticate those documents to be tendered and come back to represent them.

After complying with this directive, the documents were, therefore, admitted provisionally by the tribunal, in response to the observation of one of the Counsels to the Respondents, who hinted to the tribunal of the possibility of objections to some of the documents tendered by petitioner’s counsel.

However, while the proceedings were still on, and documents still being tendered and admitted, some media outlets mischievously reported that all documents brought by Adebutu’s team had been admitted.

Therefore, a counsel to one of the respondents called the attention of the Tribunal to this misinformation describing it as propaganda about the proceedings of the panel.

Piqued by the information, the Court urged Lead counsel to the petitioners to caution his clients and their supporters against misleading the general public through sensational stories in the media.

On Tuesday, Counsels to the respondents, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had raised objections against the petitioners Counsel’s failure to present the undisputed documents through the bar before presenting same before the tribunal, to allow all parties involved in the case to verify them.