APC Primary C’tte Chairman Defends Conduct of Exercise

A former Borno State Deputy Governor, Adamu Shettima Yuguda Dibal who chaired the Lagos state governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on May 26, 2022 which produced Babajide Sanwo-Olu as winner, appeared before the Governorship election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday.

The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the March 18, 2023 Lagos state governorship election, Abdulazeez Adediran (a.k.a. Jandor), instituted the petition challenging the victory of Governor Sanwo-Olu at the polls.

Jandor accused the governor of allegedly presenting a forged WAEC certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Petitioner also accused the deputy governor, Obafemi Hazmat of not including his oath of declaration in his INEC Nomination Form (EC9), and that the APC did not comply with the Electoral Act when nominating both men.

Jandor, who emerged third in the election, closed his petition last week after presenting oral and documentary evidence.

The respondents in the petition are INEC, Messrs Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, the APC, the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour who came second.

INEC has also closed its defence.

On Tuesday, Counsel representing Governor Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Bode Olanipekun (SAN) presented its sole witness, Adamu Dibal.

He told the three-member tribunal headed by Justice Arum Ashom that the Lagos State chairman of the APC, Cornelius Ojelabi didn’t flout any electoral regulation when he wrote to the Lagos chapter of INEC to notify it of the party’s primary election.

During cross examination, counsel to the PDP’s candidate, Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), asked the witness whether Mr Ojelabi was the national chairman of the APC as at may 24 when he authored the said letter, the witness replied in the negative.

Mr Dibal was questioned further,
“By APC’s guidelines, is it the national or state office that conducts a governorship primary election?
Witness: it is the national working committee that sets up the states’ committees who will then conduct the primary election in all the 36 states.”

During more cross examination by the APC counsel, Babatunde Ogala (SAN), the chieftain after being shown the said letter which is now an exhibit before the tribunal, explained that Mr Ojelabi was only informing the INEC Lagos office that the NWC had constituted a five-member committee to conduct the primary, in which he (the witness) was the chairman.
He also said he Produced a report on the primary election to the national secretariat of the APC after the exercise.

Mr Ogala asked,
“Is that a copy of the report marked as p139-144?
-Yes
And it was signed by all members of the committee?
-Yes
Was it a unanimous agreement by all members?
-Yes.”

In another round of cross examination by INEC’s counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), Mr Dibal said representatives from INEC’s headquarters and its Lagos office were present during the primary election, and that they signed a report on its conduct afterwards.

“Were officers from INEC headquarters and the state office present at the primary?
– Yes, they were
And they all signed the report?
– Yes
Look at the portion signed by INEC Lagos, who led the team
-Akanni Gabriel Abidakun.”

There was no cross examination by both counsel representing representing the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

Justice Ashom thereafter discharged the witness, leaving the APC to open its defense on Wednesday, 12th of July.

Earlier, during his examination-in-Chief, in a bid to tender a pack of documents including the report on the primary, the petitioner’s counsel, Clement Onwuenwenor, objected on grounds that it was not among the documents earlier announced to be relied upon in the petition.

Counsel for the LP and it’s candidate also raised objections.

But Mr Olanipekun said the documents were already before the tribunal.