Lagos Governorship Tribunal Resumed Hearing Chief Salis and Awamaridi’s Petitions

Following the orders of the court of appeal,the Lagos State governorship Election Petition Tribunal has resumed hearing of two petitions filed by governorship candidates of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Chief Owolabi Salis, and his Labour Party counterpart, Ifagbemi Awamaridi.

The three-man panel chaired by Justice T.T Asua, Justice A.M Anka and Justice T.I Obot heard the testimony of  both the governorship candidates  Chief Salis and Awamaridi against the incumbent Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The duo had filed a petition against Sanwo-Olu challenging his victory at the March 9, 2019 gubernatorial election before the Tribunal.

Aside Sawo-Olu, other respondents before the tribunal are; Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC), All Progressibe Congress (APC), The Resident Electoral Commisioner, the Returning Officer of Lagos State governoship election, The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and the Nigerian Army.

It would be recalled that the five-man panel of the Appeal Court led by Justice Hussein Mukthar, had upturned the June 17, 2019 decision of the Lagos Election Petition Tribunal which dismissed Chief Salis and Awamaridi's petitions on the ground that both petitioners failed to file applications for pre-hearing conference within seven days as prescribed by the law, and ordered the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Ikeja to resume hearing of the petitions filed by the two candidates

Appellate court further held that the Tribunal failed to check its own record of proceedings before determining that Salis and Awamaridi filed out of time. 

However, at the resumed hearing today, Salis in his testimony at the tribunal alleged that the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sabotage documents he intends to tender as evidence before it.

He alleged that INEC refused to give them some of the original copies of the receipts of the payments for the documents sought to be tender before the tribunal.

In his testimony, he alleged irregularities in the result sheets and  sought to tendered the volumes of documents (INEC form EC 18 and EC8) for polling unit for Apapa, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Amuwo Odofin, Kosofe, Somolu local government. 

He also sought to tendered, momorandum, nomination form and affidavit and the respondents counsel objected to the admisibility of those documents. Respondents counsel argued that those documents were irrelevant.

According to them, "Based on the irrelevance in regards to all the documents tendered, we object that there is no evidence of payment of the documents as received and there is no purported certification of the documents.

"There are no evidence of payments in the certifications of the mentioned local governments.The purported memoradum dated May 16, 2019 and affidavit of particular person seeking election into the office of governor and the form for nomination. The documents were not certified and there is no evidence of payment". Cited section 104 and 83 of the Evidence Act 2011 as amended.

In his response to their objections, the petitioner counsel, Mr. Bola Aidi argued that he laid proper foundation for the documents to be tender and prayed the court to discountenance their objections. He said, that all the documents tendered before the court were original certified true copy.

"All the copies we tendered before the court are original certified copies, any copy that is not original should be espounge by the court

Salis therefore affirmed making payments for the documents tendered.

His counsel told the court to discountenance the respondent's counsel that the allusion to aura of authority is an unknown issue in law. "It is mischevious and misconstrued, it is either the respondent says that the documents emanated from INEC or not. I believe the court will compel INEC to bring the receipts of all the documents paid for. It is our right, we paid for it and they cannot sabotage us."

Salis prayed the tribunal to grant the will of Lagosians by cancelling alleged fraudulent election of Sanwo-Olu.

He said that the monumental irregularities in the Governorship election must be exposed by the tribunal as being demanded by Lagosians.

The tribunal adjourns further proceedings to August 21,2019 for further hearing.