All exhibits tendered by the governorship candidate of the People Democratic Party, Hon. Isa Ashiru has been accepted by the Kaduna State Governorship Election Tribunal.
Part of the documents submitted included the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D, EC8E, and EC40G series from various polling units and Local Government Areas being tendered by the 1st and 2nd petitioners’ (Ashiru and his party, PDP) lead counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, on Tuesday.
The counsels to the PDP and its candidate, Dr. Ayodele Adewole, SAN, also submitted voters’ registers sheets for 40 polling units with reference to Kaduna South Local Government Area as parts of the exhibits.
They were also exhibits from Giwa, Chikun, Igabi, Kachia, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Kagarko, Kubau, Kudan, Lere, Sabon-Gari, and Zaria submitted to the tribunal respectively.
The counsel to the 1st (INEC), 2nd (Uba Sani), and 3rd (APC) respondents, had earlier said the petitioner’s counsel had breached the court order, which instructed that all parties (counsels) should meet for the uptaking of the exhibits before the presentation.
The counsel to the 3rd respondent, Muhammad Sani Katu, SAN, who sought adjournment of the case, said the order of the court was that all counsels must meet for sorting and marking of the exhibits for orderliness.
“We cannot proceed as it stands. This is because the order is not being complied with,” Katu argued.
The lead counsel to both the PDP and Ashiru, Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, said they (the counsels to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respondents) were given the opportunity for sorting, marking, and studying the said exhibits before today’s sitting but failed to show up as ordered by the court and therefore rejected Katu’s argument.
“The court registrar can attest to the fact that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents’ counsels were given the opportunity, and several efforts were made for them to come for the sorting and marking of the exhibits but they declined,” he added.
After considering the submissions of the counsels, the court ruled that all exhibits be submitted to the court by the petitioner’s counsel.
Similarly, Iyamu, SAN, told the tribunal that more exhibits were expected from the INEC, which according to him, are part of the documents to be tendered.
The case comes up on July 10th, 2023 for the continuation of the presentation of exhibits by the petitioners’ counsel.
