The National and State House of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, will today deliver judgment in a petition brought against Senate President Bukola Saraki.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, challenged the declaration of Saraki (All Progressives Congress) as the winner of the March 28 Kwara Central election.
The three-man tribunal is led by Justice Josiah Majebi.
Adopting his final written address, counsel to Saraki, Mallam Yusuf Ola-Olu Ali (SAN), asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition, saying the petitioner failed to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the counsel, a forensic report tendered in evidence was dated March 28, 2014 – a year before the election was conducted.
“The date shows the document was prepared in anticipation of the election”, the lawyer said.
He further observed that the four-volume forensic analysis report suffered “incurable and fundamental afflictions”.
Ali claimed that the report was prepared by a Lagos forensic analyst, Mrs. Nkolly Asika Obumse, wife of Abdulrasaq’s lawyer, Francis Obumse.
Obumse, who led the petitioner’s counsel, adopted his final written address.
Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), second and third respondents, Abdulwahab Bamidele and Alarape Salman (SAN) respectively, agreed with Ali’s submission, praying the tribunal to dismiss the petition.
In a related development, the tribunal will also deliver four judgments today.
The judgments are to be delivered in the House of Representatives cases inolving Lola Ashiru v Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara South Senatorial District); Babatunde Olusola v Olufunke Adedoyin and Tajudeen Abioye v Tope Olayonu.
It was learnt that the tribunal had communicated the judgment date to them as promised by the chairman on September 4, when final written addresses were adopted.
