Politics
Osun Tribunal: Adeleke’s certificates admitted as exhibits as Oyetola, APC close case
The Osun State Election Petition Tribunal yesterday admitted in evidence the file with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) containing the secondary school certificate and testimonial of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
This is just as the petitioners, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC), closed the prosecution of the matter, leaving the respondents to state their defence.
The admission of the documents followed the appearance of the INEC representative, Mrs. Joan Arabs, who brought Adeleke’s original files containing the certificate he submitted to the Commission in 2018.
It would be recalled that during the last sitting of the panel, the commission had submitted a blank document as the secondary school certificate of the governor, a situation that compelled the panel to order that the original file be brought, even as it threatened to invoke coercive power if the electoral body failed to do so.
At the resumed hearing of the petition yesterday, counsel for Oyetola, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the hearing for the day was basically meant for the appearance of INEC representative to produce Adeleke’s file in line with the court order.
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Counsel for INEC, in his response, said that INEC representative was already in court with the files containing a clearer and legible certificate and testimonial in question, saying he would be willing to apply for the return of the documents to INEC, when the tribunal is done looking at it.
After the production of the documents, the tribunal, while discharging the INEC official, said, “You can now go if you wish to. No policeman will accost you again.”
Subsequently, Oyetola’s counsel sought to tender the documents, which contain form CFO01 and its attachments, including Adeleke’s credentials, saying the original file brought to court is a primary evidence and he was comfortable with it.
Counsel for INEC, Chief Henry Agunedo (SAN), said he would be objecting to the admissibility of the documents on the ground that the basis for the production of the whole file was because only two pages of the earlier-produced Certified True Copies were in contention, saying tendering the whole documents was out of place.
Counsel for Adeleke and PDP, Niyi Owolade and Alex Izinyon (SAN) respectively, said they had objection to the tendering of the said documents, but said they would reserve their objections till the final address stage.
Izinyon also observed that the only documents in contention were only two pages- Adeleke’s certificate and testimonial – saying the CTC earlier produced had not been tendered before the court.
Responding, Fagbemi said the practice everywhere is that INEC can only apply and get back the files after the dispensation of the cases, saying, «We asked for CTC and now that they brought this. We are fine, we will take it.
Ruling on the documents tendered, the tribunal led by Tertsea Kume admitted the credentials and the Adeleke’s nomination form as exhibit ‘FILE D’ and taken as read.
It was after the tribunal admitted the documents that Fagbemi informed the panel that he had decided to close his case, saying, “My Lord, we rest our case.”
When the tribunal asked INEC’s counsel to open his defence, Chief Agunedo said it would be difficult for him to open his case on Monday, saying that the non-availability of his witnesses would make it practically impossible.
The panel then asked the counsels to meet and agree on adjournment date after which Counsel for INEC briefed the panel on the outcome of the meeting.
Subsequently, the tribunal adjourned the case till December 20 for the respondents to open their defence, saying the adjournment was based on another engagement by the tribunal somewhere else between 12th and 19th December 2022.
SUN
Politics
Updated: Rivers crisis worsens as attorney-general, finance commissioner resign
Updated: Rivers crisis worsens as attorney-general, finance commissioner resign
The power tussle in Rivers State took a new turn on Wednesday as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Zacchaeus Adangor, resigned his appointment and as a member of the state executive council.
This is after the commissioner had rejected his redeployment by Governor Siminalayi Fubara as Commissioner for Special Duties.
Similarly, Isaac Kamalu has resigned as Commissioner of Finance after he was redeployed to the Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment Ministry by the governor.
Zacchaeus on 14 December first resigned his position as the Attorney-General of the state following the face-off between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Zacchaeus and other commissioners who resigned due to the political crisis in the state, however, returned to the government after being reconfirmed by the state House of Assembly.
Fubara, earlier in the week, reshuffled his cabinet and redeployed Zacchaeus as the commissioner for Special Duties (Governor’s Office).
In a letter addressed to the Secretary to the Rivers State government, Zacchaeus rejected his new office.
In his resignation letter, he accused Governor Fubara of interfering with the performance of his duties as the state’s attorney general.
For Kamalu, who served as commissioner for Budget and Economics under former Governor Wike, he forwarded his resignation letter to Governor Fubura and the Secretary to the Government, Tammy Danagogo.
He accused Fubara of lying about the internally generated revenue of Rivers State.
Politics
Just in: Ex-Imo Gov Ihedioha heads for LP, dumps PDP
Just in: Ex-Imo Gov Ihedioha heads for LP, dumps PDP
Former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Politics
Aregbesola, Oyetola’s camps disagree over Osun shares
Aregbesola, Oyetola’s camps disagree over Osun shares
Fresh uproar has hit the camp of the former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, over the selling of the shares of Osun State at Omoluabi Bank, to private investors.
A leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijesaland, Adebayo Adedeji, yesterday insisted that Aregbesola sold the shares before leaving office.
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Adedeji said in a statement: “In 2013, the government of Aregbesola went to the Nigerian Stock Exchange in order to increase the company’s share capital by N1.65billion so as to be above the N2.5billion minimum capital requirement set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for mortgage banks in the country.
“Wale Bolorunduro, who was recently nominated as chairman of the bank by Governor Adeleke, was the Commissioner of Finance in the state under Aregbesola. He has knowledge of it.”
Aregbesola, reacting to the claims through his media aide, Sola Fasure, in a terse message said: “It’s between Oyetola and the PDP administration in Osun. We don’t want to be dragged into it. But you may seek clarification from Dr. Wale Bolorunduro. He’s the new chairman of the bank.”
Aregbesola, Oyetola’s camps disagree over Osun shares
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