AC WITNESS INDICTS OWN PARTY BEFORE TRIBU NAL
A drama played out on Wednesday at the election petition tribunal in Osogbo when an Action Congress witness said his own party was responsible for the snatching of ballot boxes in the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Osun state.
The witness, Akinola Nurudeen from Oyan, Odo- Otin Local Government, had tendered a report which he confirmed was written by him as the AC supervisor for Ward 15 in the April 14, 2007 election.
Following the tendering of the report as well as others from the party agents at the various polling units, Mallam Yusuf Alli, SAN, who was lead counsel to Prince Oyinlola at the tribunal took the witness up in a cross-examination.
In the report which he was asked to read out to the tribunal, the witness wrote” when I visited unit three, I was told by one Yomi Dare that the third petitioner ordered the carrying of ballot boxes.” Incidentally, in the case before the tribunal, the third petitioner is the Action Congress.
The witness had earlier admitted that the said Yomi Dare who gave him the information was one of his party agents in the ward during the election.
Again, the same witness could not explain why he tendered two different reports on the same unit for the same election written by one Noah Amoo, identified by him as one of his party agents.
Another witness, Victoria Ademola from Ward nine, Odo- Otin local Government created a scene when after telling the tribunal during cross-examination that she was not allowed to vote during the governorship election turned round much later to admit that she voted on April 14,2007.
Mr Kola Awodein, SAN, lead counsel of Rauf Aregbesola at the tribunal initially had wanted to re-examine the two witnesses but shelved it after reading through the reports all over again.
The petitioner, Aregbesola, has so far called witnesses from Ife Central, Ife South and Odo Otin local Governments. He is contesting the results of the election in 12 local governments.
Lasisi Olagunju
CPS to the Governor of Osun State.
07/11/07
