Ekiti Tribunal: APC presents FIRS sacked staff as witness

…….admits Mala-Buni conducts Oyebanji’s primaries

The Ekiti Governorship Election Petition Tribunal resumed hearing today with the first witness called by the defence was a sacked federal civil servant who openly denied his formal name in order to hide his real identity from the tribunal
.
The witness who is the State Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Garba Arogundade, a former staff of the Federal Inland Revenue denied that his name was Sola but later admitted that Sola was his real name when cross-examined by the petitioner’s lead counsel, Mr Obafemi Adewale.

Testifying before the tribunal, Arogundade admitted that Mala-Buni was the national caretaker chairman of the APC which conducted the last governorship primaries in the state.

Earlier in an attempt to create confusion, Arogundade had told the tribunal that the primaries that produced Mr Biodun Oyebanji was conducted by the local party whilst in further cross examination he said that the primaries was conducted by the Mala-Buni-led Caretaker Committee in a reverse manner.

Again during cross examination by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC)’s lawyer, Mr Charles Owensuyi, Arogundade told the tribunal that Mala-Buni and Akpan Udoendehen, the national caretaker chairman and the national secretary respectively conducted the APC governorship primaries of January 27, 2022 in Ekiti State.

Earlier, the APC lead counsel, Chief Lateef Fagbemi had apologised to the tribunal that the first, second and fourth principal witnesses had their flights delayed leading to the tribunal resuming sitting at 11 am instead of 9 am
.However, at 1 pm when these witnessed failed to show up at the tribunal, Fagbemi further apologised to the tribunal but promised to present them the next day.

It will be recalled that the Social Democratic Party ( SDP) governorship candidate and former Ekiti State Governor, Asiwaju Segun Oni, who was dissatisfied at the governorship Election results conducted on June 18, 2023 had fi d a petition at the tribunal.

The tribunal therefore adjourned to Wednesday October 19, 2022.