Surprise as Oni closes case at Ekiti Guber Election Tribunal

● Oyebanji, APC others open defence on October 18
● Panel admits more documents as exhibits

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Chief Segun Oni, on Thursday, closed their case at the Ekiti State Election Petition Tribunal hearing the dispute emanating from the June 18 governorship election.

Oni, through his counsel, Mr Owoseni Ajayi, closed his case at the resumption of hearing at 3.00pm after the Tribunal had ruled and marked several electoral documents as Exhibits.

The decision to close the case of the Petitioners was a surprise to the respondents and many of the observers who were in the courtroom to monitor the proceedings.

Ajayi informed the three-member Panel led by the Chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, that since the petitioners had no further witnesses to call to testify in their favour, they would be closing their case.

Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who is the counsel to the 1st respondent, the Governor-elect, Mr Biodun Oyebanji and the 5th respondent, the Deputy Governor-elect, Mrs Monisade Afuye, said the petitioners’ decision to close their case sooner than expected caught him by surprise.

He said: “There was no hint that they (Oni and SDP) would close their case so soon. We had no inkling that the case would be closed so soon. May I ask for 14 days to gather our witnesses together and open our defence.”

But the Tribunal Chairman remarked that the Panel expected 1st and 5th Respondents to start bringing their witnesses from Friday so as not to entertain any delay in hearing the petition, following the surprise closure of the Petitioners’ case.

Justice Kpochi stressed that the panel would not tolerate any long adjournment and would want to stick to the decisions reached by the parties during the pre-trial session.

It was at this stage that the Tribunal Chair consulted with the other two members of the Panel and proceeded to write the ruling on the next line of action on when the respondents would open their defence.

Delivering the short ruling, Justice Kpochi said the 1st and 5th respondents had sufficient time to assemble their witnesses but said the panel would grant an adjournment till Tuesday, 18th October.

The adjournment, according to the panel boss, was on condition that all the respondents in the petition shall bring their witnesses one after the other with each of them expected to open defence shortly immediately after the other is closing its case.

Justice Kpochi further ruled that all the respondents should follow the list of their witnesses. The Tribunal rose at 3.39pm.

Earlier before the petitioners closed their case, the Tribunal provisionally admitted and marked some documents as Exhibits.

These included Forms EC8B, EC8D, INEC document for deployment of collation officers, letter written by the law firm of Owoseni Ajayi and Associates to INEC, BVAS Report, INEC reply to the letter from the law firm of Owoseni Ajayi and Associates, Form EC9, APC final list of aspirants, INEC document on distribution of ballot papers and serial numbers, list of INEC staff deployed to local government areas, among others.