PDP’s witness blames lawyer for repetition
As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called more witnesses to testify before the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, yesterday, inconsistencies and similarities in the witnesses’ statements have continued to trail the proceedings.
A witness, Mrs. Mulikat Yemi from Ota, while admitting similarities in her statement with another witness, Balogun Olanrewaju, during cross-examination by counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including same error and omission in paragraph six of their statements, told the tribunal to question her lawyer for the repetition.
Another witness, Thomas Abiodun, a photographer, who appeared before the panel for the party from Iyesi-Ota in Ado-Odo Ota Local Council, claimed to have signed the statement he presented on June 16, whereas the statement was actually signed on April 6.
Also, paragraphs three and four of his statement, after being sighted and compared, were confirmed to be the same with other witnesses’ statements.
Abiodun also lied on oath when he told the tribunal that his statement was based on his personal knowledge, but after being cross-examined, he changed this claim and said the information in his statement came from an unnamed official of INEC.
In the same vein, it was discovered after thorough scrutiny by counsel to INEC that the witness statement submitted by another individual called by the PDP, Mr. Kushimo Akeem, a cloth seller from Gbagura, in Abeokuta North Local Council, was exactly the same with previous statements earlier presented.
