Osun election tribunal: Adeleke, PDP, INEC hire 8 SANs, 45 lawyers.
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
Osun State Governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have hired eight Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and 45 lawyers to represent them at the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Osogbo.
The Deputy Director of the Adeleke Campaign Council, Kolapo Alimi told newsmen that the PDP has assembled a legal team to ‘thrash’ Oyetola’s petition.
The three respondents’ team will be led by Alex Iziyon (SAN), Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), Chief Nathaniel Oke (SAN), Mr Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) and Dr Paul Ananaba (SAN).
Alimi described Oyetola’s petition as a waste of the ‘precious time’ of the judiciary.
The PDP had filed and submitted its defence at the tribunal, praying the court to dismiss the petition.
According to the PDP, the governor’s petition is frivolous and baseless.
The response was submitted to the tribunal by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Dr. Adekunle Akindele.
Akindele told the tribunal that Adeleke convincingly won the election and was duly declared the winner, stating that there was no over-voting in any of the polling units being challenged by Oyetola and the APC.
He asked the tribunal to dismiss Oyetola’s petition, maintaining that the election was free, fair and credible without any iota of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
