Osun Petition: INEC Castigated for Wasting Court's Time

*Failed to Present Witnesses
* Asked for adjournment till the 24th.
*Tribunal Judges Angry at Delay Tactics
* Let INEC Surrender if...Oke,SAN

Osun election petition tribunal opened today with the electoral commission recieving harsh criticism following its failure to present witnesses for examination before the court.

In a blistering reaction ,the panel chairman chided the INEC for failing to organise itself and for employing delay tactics contrary to the admonition of the court.

"Borrow a leaf from the petitioners.They were organised and ready and were able to present 80 witnesses. They are not in government ,yet they are this organised and can plan their resources",the panel chairman declared.

The sitting had opened with the counsel to INEC seeking adjournment till next week on the ground that the witnesses to Present before the court are not yet available.

The counsel who was apologising profusely however got more than what he bargained for when the Tribunal chairman tackled him with barrage of questions and condemnations for treating the court with levity.

"Election petiton is an Emergency and so must run from day to day unlike regular court proceedings. Borrow a leaf from the petitioners.We are conscripted by time.Our albatross are the lawyers ;you like to see us suffer.What is so difficult in presenting your witnesses?"

"We have read your submission.What is delaying your witnesses .Is it that you have not prepared them since the time you submitted the evidence?",the panel chairman retorted.

Counsels to APC and Gboyega Oyetola however supported the INEC counsel,explaining logistics issues behind the inability of the witnesses to appear today.

The counsel to the petitioner ,N.O.Oke in his contribution supported the concerns raised by the panel chairman as he said the development points to INEC having no defence against the petition of his client.

"My Lord,if INEC has no defence against our petition, I urge them to throw in their towel and surrender now to our petition",Oke said.

Ruling on the matter ,the tribunal rejected request for adjournment till 24th and ruled that the sitting is adjourned till tommorow 10am.

Osun Tribunal: Confusion in INEC over Witnesses

For three straight days, the Independent National Electoral Commission failed to present witnesses to justify its declaration of the governorship election of September 22nd , 2018 as inconclusive and declared Gboyega Oyetola elected as Governor.

At the resumed tribunal sitting today in Abuja ,counsel to INEC ,Adesina Agbede proceeded to tender just 2 documents. He again promised the court that the witnesses will be available tommorow.

While according to the law, the electoral body has 10 days to conclude its presentation of witnesses and documents ,reports indicated that the reason for the delay is beyond tactics and strategies.

Just as it was admitted that INEC may be employing delay tactics ,insider reports at the tribunal indicated that there is confusion within the commission on the assembling and tutoring of witnesses.

The INEC lawyer, Agbede who was apparently unhappy at the development was on the defensive as the panel in compliance with the law accepted his request for another adjournment till tommorow.

The INEC counsel was however put on tight rope as the panel chairman before adjournment,asked: "what are you doing tommorow"

In response ,the INEC counsel said "finally ,the witnesses will be available sir tommorow for cross examination"

Lawyers in the court said the panel had indirectly put the INEC counsel to task as any failure to present the witnesses tommorow may rob off on his integrity.

An APC Lawyer in the know of the development said INEC is confused as to who to present for cross-examination before the panel.

According to him,INEC had forwarded wrong list of witnesses to their counsel,adding "the people sent are the wrong ones.We may instead seek intervention of the court to present APC witnesses if INEC is not ready",he said.

The lawyer who was discussing with his colleagues in hushed tones said INEC is apparently ill prepared to defend the outcome of the election,adding "we will take up the matter by defending the results that produced Gboyega Oyetola and the APC as the winner of the election"

After today's adjournment, Niyi Owolade,head of PDP legal team ,said the petitioner's team is prepared to cross examine INEC witnesses.

"We are ready for INEC.Apparently INEC is not ready.It is difficult to defend falsehood.We are waiting.Justice will be served because our God is a God of justice",he said.

With God all things are possible. Able God

With God all things are possible. Able God

With God all things are possible. Able God

9jahotblog:
Osun Tribunal: Confusion in INEC over Witnesses

For three straight days, the Independent National Electoral Commission failed to present witnesses to justify its declaration of the governorship election of September 22nd , 2018 as inconclusive and declared Gboyega Oyetola elected as Governor.

At the resumed tribunal sitting today in Abuja ,counsel to INEC ,Adesina Agbede proceeded to tender just 2 documents. He again promised the court that the witnesses will be available tommorow.

While according to the law, the electoral body has 10 days to conclude its presentation of witnesses and documents ,reports indicated that the reason for the delay is beyond tactics and strategies.

Just as it was admitted that INEC may be employing delay tactics ,insider reports at the tribunal indicated that there is confusion within the commission on the assembling and tutoring of witnesses.

The INEC lawyer, Agbede who was apparently unhappy at the development was on the defensive as the panel in compliance with the law accepted his request for another adjournment till tommorow.

The INEC counsel was however put on tight rope as the panel chairman before adjournment,asked: "what are you doing tommorow"

In response ,the INEC counsel said "finally ,the witnesses will be available sir tommorow for cross examination"

Lawyers in the court said the panel had indirectly put the INEC counsel to task as any failure to present the witnesses tommorow may rob off on his integrity.

An APC Lawyer in the know of the development said INEC is confused as to who to present for cross-examination before the panel.

According to him,INEC had forwarded wrong list of witnesses to their counsel,adding "the people sent are the wrong ones.We may instead seek intervention of the court to present APC witnesses if INEC is not ready",he said.

The lawyer who was discussing with his colleagues in hushed tones said INEC is apparently ill prepared to defend the outcome of the election,adding "we will take up the matter by defending the results that produced Gboyega Oyetola and the APC as the winner of the election"

After today's adjournment, Niyi Owolade,head of PDP legal team ,said the petitioner's team is prepared to cross examine INEC witnesses.

"We are ready for INEC.Apparently INEC is not ready.It is difficult to defend falsehood.We are waiting.Justice will be served because our God is a God of justice",he said.

Since this is the same reason they refuse kwara south senatorial candidate swap, let the count nullify that result and announce the dancing senator jare.

Law maker, breaking the law.

Sunshyne200:


Since this is the same reason they refuse kwara south senatorial candidate swap, let the count nullify that result and announce the dancing senator jare.

Law maker, breaking the law.

dancing senator about to be swear in soon.

Breaking......
INEC closes defence on Osun election petition without calling a witness.....

*Breaking: INEC Fails to Defend Declaration of Oyetola as Osun Governor

*Failed to call Witnesses after 4 Days

*Closed Case after Humiliation

*INEC has Conceded to our Petition-Ananaba, SAN

*APC Team in Sad Mood

It was a political earthquake today in Abuja as the Independent National Electoral Commission closed its submission before the Osun Election Petition Tribunal without calling a single witness and with a clearly disturbed countenance.

At the resumed hearing today in Abuja, the commission throughout its counsel Adesina Agbede rose in disquiet to apply to close his case to the other consternation of even APC and Gboyega Oyetola's legal team.

The counsel had staked his reputation yesterday when he promised the tribunal that the witnesses would testify at today's proceedings. The Tribunal Chairman quickly come to the aid of the disturbed counsel by ruling that he needs not apply to close INEC defence, urging him to proceed to close his case.

The INEC counsel eventually closed the case without canvassing any arguments against them presentations, submissions and prayers of the petitioner that Ademola Adeleke be declared the rightful winner of the election based on the results of September 22nd.

*The Real Gist

Checks however showed that INEC stopped further presentations due to inability to assemble the right witnesses. It was learnt that very few were ready to come and tesify in defence of the violently manipulated rerun on the basis of which Oyetola was declared winner.

Two, the few who were ready could not be tutored to say white is black especially with respect to the alteration of results sheets.

Three, INEC discovered that PDP cross-examination will only strengthen petitioner's case that the rerun was a sham and that cancellation of some polling units in September 22 was an exercise outside and against the spirit of the law.

"Most witnesses they would have called will eventually be confirming the disparity between the so called certified true copies of the results and the pink copies with PDP agents. INEC witnesses would have ended up as petitioners' supporters", a public interest lawyer who was in court said.

Eventually the few witnesses who were mobilised for INEC were not utilised as the counsel felt that they would further weaken the case of the defendants and strengthen the petitioner's position that INEC exercised powers it does not have by cancelling the seven polling units and by declaring the election inconclusively.

*INEC has Conceeded to our Petition– PDP Lawyer

Speaking on the implication of INEC decision, lead counsel for the petitioner, Dr. Paul Ananaba, SAN, said INEC has literally endorsed and conceeded to the PDP petition seeking declaration of Senator Adeleke as the winner of the election.

According to the legal luminary, our case is primarily against the actions and decisions of INEC and if they cannot challenge our Petition, and if they can not provide any defence for their actions that declared Oyetola as winner, then the commission has literally admitted that our petition is right and correct before the law and God.

"A key pillar of our case is that the returning officer without legal powers cancelled results of seven polling units and proceeded to declare the election inconclusive. INEC failed to declare PDP and her candidate winner even after fulfilling all constitutional stipulations. We also complained that INEC altered result sheets and that the commission published results where there was no accreditation and ballots accounting.

"We called 80 witnesses to authenticate our pleadings and prayers and also tendered over 500 pieces of evidence. By closing its case without any defence, INEC is saying we cannot challenge petitoner's case. INEC has accepted that We are right in our prayers that the rightful winner of the election is PDP'S Ademola Adeleke.

"INEC is the one that committed the infractions and it has literally accepted our pleadings and prayers. We will be surprised if APC and her candidate will challenge our petition in the light of INEC's action today. The honourable thing for APC to do is to throw in the towel and avoid wasting the time of the court", the senior lawyer said.

The tribunal adjourned further sitting till Wednesday January 30.