The Osun Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Osogbo, has ordered the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to produce the results used by the Osun State governor-elect Ademola Adeleke for the 2018 governorship election in the state.
The Tribunal on Wednesday granted a subpoena/request ordering the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the INEC in the state, to produce the nomination form and academic certificates used by Adeleke in the 2018 governorship election.
Naija News understands that the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Tertsea Kume, gave the order in his ruling on Friday because the INEC REC for the state had failed to produce the document tagged, “INEC Form CF001,” which was demanded by the counsel for the All Progressive Congress (APC), the petitioners.
Justice Kume after hearing the arguments and counterarguments by both the petitioners and the respondent’s counsels as regards the INEC Form CF001 said the petitioner(APC) had shown enough grounds with regard to their application/subpoena request of the document.
He advanced that it would amount to denying the petitioners their right to a fair hearing after the respondent (INEC) had failed to comply with the subpoena order regarding what the petitioners were demanding.
Kume explained that the Osun INEC REC Dr Mutiu Agboke, who was represented by one Shehu Muhammed, failed to produce Form CF001 on the excuse that they did not have the document in their custody in the state.
The tribunal chairman on that premise ordered the INEC chairman to produce the document on the next date of adjournment, which is December 1, 2022.
Naija News gathered that the tribunal had on November 16 overruled the respondents (INEC)’s an oral application seeking to discountenance a subpoena/request brought by the petitioner.
The respondent (INEC) had earlier brought an application to counter the subpoena request, but it was dismissed by the tribunal.
Recall that the incumbent Osun state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had on August 5, 2022, submitted a petition before the tribunal in Osogbo to challenge the election results from 749 polling units across 10 local government areas of the state for various alleged electoral malpractice, especially over-voting.
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