Tribunal: Former Borno deputy governor Dibal testifies in court on behalf of Sanwo-Olu

Adamu Shettima Yuguda Dibal, a former deputy governor of Borno State who presided over the most recent All Progressives Congress primary election in Lagos State, gave testimony before the Lagos State Election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the APC’s governorship candidate for the general elections in 2023, won the primary poll.

Sanwo-Olu’s bid for reelection as the state governor is under attack from the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate for the March 18 governorship election.

Dibal was brought into testimony by Mr. Bode Olanipekun (SAN), counsel for Sanwo-Olu, and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.

 

Dibal testified before the tribunal presided over by Justice Arum Ashom that Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi, the APC’s Lagos State Chairman, did not violate any electoral laws when he alerted the INEC office in writing of the party’s primary poll in Lagos State.

Mr. Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), the attorney for Mr. Abdulazeez Adediran (also known as Jandor), a PDP candidate for governor, questioned the witness during cross-examination if Ojelabi was the national chairman of the APC on May 24, 2022, the day he wrote the letter.

The witness gave a negative response.

The witness testified before the court that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC established the state committees responsible for holding the primary election in each of the 36 states.

The chieftain claimed, under cross-examination by APC counsel Mr. Babatunde Ogala (SAN), that Ojelabi was merely informing the INEC office that the NWC had formed a five-member committee to conduct the primary election in Lagos State, of which he was the Chairman, after being shown the aforementioned letter, which had been admitted as an exhibit before the tribunal.

The witness added that after the procedure, he produced a report on the primary election for the APC national secretariat.

The witness responded to INEC’s legal representative, Mr. Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), by stating that officials from INEC’s head office and Lagos office attended the primary election and approved a report on its conduct.

Counsel for the Labour Party and its candidate, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, did not engage in any cross-examination.

After discharging the witness, the tribunal presided over by Justice Arum Ashom ordered the APC to begin its defense on July 12.

Adediran said in the petition that the governor had given the Independent National Electoral Commission a fake West African school diploma.

Adediran also claimed that Hazmat’s INEC Nomination Form EC9 lacked an oath declaration.

APC did not nominate Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat in accordance with the Electoral Act, he continued.

After presenting oral and written evidence, Adediran, who finished third in the governorship election, ended his case on July 4.