*Lawyers expected to present final addresses to the court

GBENRO ADESINA/IBADAN

Rasheed Ladoja: Accord Party candidate

The Oyo State Governorship election tribunal today concluded hearing in the petition filed by the Accord Party and its governorship candidate, Senator Rasheed Ladoja in the April 11 election

Senator Ladoja is challenging the victory of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election at the tribunal headed by Justice Muhammed Aliu Mayaki,

The adjournment was followed by the closing of the defence by Yusuf Ali (SAN), the counsel to the third and fourth respondents who were the Oyo state resident Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ambassador Rufus Akeju and INEC.

The counsel to the third and fourth respondents did not call any witness before he closed his defence.

Governor Ajimobi and its party are the first and second respondents represented by Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) respectively.

Ali said the original INEC documents before the tribunal are enough evidence to the fact that elections were held contrary to the petition brought by Senator Ladoja and his party adding that all the original documents already admitted as exhibits before the panel are testimonies that results garnered by political parties and their governorship candidates were recorded accurately and not falsified as claimed by the petitioners.

“Since nobody had tendered any other result aside from the one announced by INEC, it shows there was no falsification of the result of the election as included in the petition of Senator Ladoja.”

Consequent upon the closing of their defence by the third and fourth respondents, the tribunal therefore fixed September 30, 2015 for the adoption of final addresses of all the counsel.

The chairman then said maximum time will be given to all the parties.

Respondents now have 10 days to write and file their final written addresses while the petitioners have seven days within which to file same.

In addition, all the parties have five days to reply on point of law.

The parties also have additional 10 pages aside from the 40 pages meant for the final addresses for their objections to the admissibility of documents tendered during the hearing.