Ekiti: APC didn’t have candidate in June 18 election, says Segun Oni

……Tribunal adjourns for judgement

The Ekiti Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti was told today at its resumed hearing by the counsel to the petitioner, former governor Segun Oni that the All Progressive Congress ( APC) had no candidate in the last June 18 Ekiti governorship election.

The tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi had resumed sitting for the lawyers of the petitioner and the respondents to finally present their written addresses to the tribunal.

Segun Oni who is the Social Democratic Party(SDP) governorship candidate in the June 18 governorship election won by the APC governorship candidate, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, and being dissatisfied with the outcome of the election had gone to the tribunal to challenge the election.

Counsel to the petitioner, Mr Owoseni Ajayi in the written address submitted, told the tribunal that the third respondent, the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala-Buni who signed the nomination form of Oyebanji and who also superintendent over the APC governorship primaries contravened section 183 of the 1999 Constitution by accepting to be the APC National Caretaker Chairman.

According to Ajayi, section 183 of the 1999 Constitution stated explicitly that a sitting governor shall not accept any other executive position while in office.

On the allegation by the petitioner that Mrs Monisade Afuye presented fake WAEC results to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Mr Ajayi told the tribunal that according to Section 136 of the Evident Act, the burden of proof was on Mrs Afuye to defend herself of the allegation and since she refused to come to the tribunal to clear herself of the allegation, her quietness and refusal to defend herself of the allegation is admission of guilt in law.

The tribunal therefore adjourned for judgement at a date to be communicated by the tribunal to the parties.