Ogun: Tribunal throws out PDP's objection, as cases of alleged forgery, impersonation persist

By Yusuf Olatunji 

In continuation of proceedings at the Ogun State governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abeokuta metropolis, the panel on Friday overruled an objection raised by counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over inexplicably repetitive statements made by it’s different witnesses in different polling units even as falsehoods by witnesses called by PDP continue to be uncovered.

In overruling the PDP, the Tribunal reaffirmed its earlier ruling on same argument raised during one of the previous sittings.

There were reports from the tribunal in the past days of plethora evidences establishing alleged  impersonation and similarities in the witnesses' statements brought forward by different individuals  called by the PDP to testify in its favour.

Counsel to the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had raised observations and asked questions on similarities in the PDP witnesses'  statements and several cases of inconsistencies, in which the petitioner's counsel raised objection but was swiftly overruled by the panel.

The development was unanimously endorsed by all the counsels to the  respondents, as another witness called by the PDP, Isau Lawal, from Makun, Sagamu, allegedly  lied to have  applied to INEC for certified true  copies of documents in respect of the case under review and  in the same breath admitted that none of such documents was tendered before the tribunal.

Also, an alleged case of  impersonation was established against the PDP's witness, when counsel to All Progressives Congress,  (APC) called out a different name, Yewande Babatunde, as the PDP’s polling agent at PU002, Ward 12,  where Lawal claimed to have worked as  the party's agent, even as he has no means of identification to substantiate his claim that he was the party’s agent. He, however, admitted knowing Yewande Babatunde, the rightful agent of the party.