Ogun: PDP Witness Blames Lawyer for Repetition, Similarities in Statements

James Sowole  in Abeokuta

As the hearing of the petition filed by the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the return of the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, in the March 18 governorship election resumed yesterday, witnesses have blamed the opposition party’s similarities in the witnesses’ statements.

A witness, Mrs. Mulikat Yemi, from Ota, while admitting similarities in her statement with another witness, Balogun  Olanrewaju, during cross-examination by the counsel to INEC, including the same error and omission in paragraph 6 of their statements, told the tribunal to question her lawyer for the repetition.

One other witness, Thomas Abiodun, a photographer, who appeared before the panel for the party from Iyesi-Ota in Ado Odo Ota Local Government Area,  claimed to have signed the statement he presented on June 16, whereas the statement was actually signed on
April 6.

Also, paragraphs 3 and 4 of his statement, after being sighted and compared, were confirmed to be the same as other witnesses’ statements.

Abiodun further lied on oath when he told the tribunal that his statement was based on his personal knowledge; meanwhile, after being cross-examined,  he later changed this claim and said the information in his statement came from an unnamed official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In the same vein, it was discovered that after a thorough scrutiny by counsel to INEC the witness statement submitted by another individual called by the PDP, Mr. Kushimo Akeem, a cloth seller from Gbagura in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, was exactly the same with previous witnesses’ statements earlier presented.

Meanwhile, the PDP has given the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abiodun Alamutu, has been 72 hours to make public the report of an allegation of vote buying leveled against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Dapo Abiodun, during the March 18 governorship election.

The state Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Sikirulai Ogundele, who handed down the ultimatum yesterday while addressing journalists at the party secretariat in Abeokuta, said the party was getting uncomfortable with the reluctance of the state Police Command to release to the public the report of an allegation of vote buying leveled by the PDP against APC and Abiodun.

Ogundele said: “The PDP was aware that Abiodun and his party, APC, were putting unbearable pressure as well as threatening the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, and his officers to allegedly suppress the release and distort the findings of the investigation ordered by the immediate-past Inspector General of Police, Baba Alkali, based on the opposition party’s petition dated May 2, 2023.

“It is clear that Governor Abiodun had a hint that there are many revelations on how he has diverted taxpayers’ money to pay ‘One Card Nigeria Limited’ owned by Mr. Tunde Odulaja up to billions of naira to produce cards to buy votes in the March 18 gubernatorial election.

“We are also aware that Abiodun is trying to suppress the report because he knows the investigations have uncovered many atrocities he has perpetuated with his co-travelers with evidence provided by various witnesses and facts made available and how government accounts were used to buy votes.”

Ogundele noted that “in support of our petition and in addition to the evidence made available to the police by our party which has aided a thorough investigation of our petition, the police questioned many witnesses, got facts and information which we believed to have enriched the report that had since been concluded, yet the police have refused to submit and release the findings and report of the investigation.”