Tribunal: Omisore reduces witnesses, Oyinlola appears for Aregbesola

Senator Iyiola Omisore

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, has told the Osun State Election Petitions Tribunal that he is ready to reduce the number of witnesses in his case against the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Counsel to the petitioner, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, told the Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime-led tribunal on Tuesday that Omisore would reduce the number of witnesses from over 1,000 to 500.

Uche also said that documents the petitioner would rely upon in the case would be tendered by consent.

He asked that the tribunal compelled the first and second respondents to share the 10 days allotted to them by the Electoral Law for the defence of their case and suggested to the panel to allocate five minutes for cross examination of each of the witnesses.

He also said that the petitioner would file a written copy to streamline issues to be determined before the end of the day.

Aregbesola’s lead counsel, Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, said the governor would also slash the number of his witnesses from 610 though he did not state what the new number would be.

He, however, proposed that at least 20 minutes should be allocated for cross examination of each of the witnesses.

Counsel to the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, said that the party had 605 witnesses and that additional witnesses might still be called.

Pinhero said he might streamline the witnesses after the closure of the petitioner’s case but he prayed the court to relax the time limit whenever expert witnesses would be cross-examined.

Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr. Ayotunde Ogunleye, said the third respondent would call all its 18 witnesses. He added that documents certified by INEC should be regarded as original.

The tribunal adjourned hearing of the case to Thursday, November 6.

The announcement of a former governor of the state, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as one of the counsels for Aregbesola caused some excitement in the court room as lawyers in the camp of the petitioner burst into laughter.

Oyinlola was removed as the governor of the state by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan on November 26, 2010 following the appeal filed by Aregbesola but both the former governor and his successor now belong to the APC.

Omisore, who was also present at the hearing, told journalists in an interview that he expected that justice would be done in the case.

Earlier, the tribunal had in a ruling delivered by Ikpejime held that the panel would hear the preliminary objections together with the substantive petition filed by Omisore.