Ogun Election: Akinlade, APM seek tribunal’s order to inspect INEC’s documents

The Ogun State chapter of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and its governorship candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, on Tuesday asked the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant them access to the documents used for the March 9 election in the state.

The party in the petition with reference number EPT/06/GOV/01/2019 said the inspection is necessary to allow them to file a petition before the tribunal.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate who is the winner of the election, Dapo Abiodun, were joined as respondents in the application.

Mr Abiodun polled 241,670 votes to defeat Mr Akinlade who had 222,153 votes.

Gboyega Isiaka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 110,422 votes; Buruji Kashamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 70,290 votes, while Dimeji Bankole of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) recorded 9,666 votes.

The petitioners in the application submitted that without a formal order from the tribunal, the respondents would not give them access to the documents.

The APM argued that documents “are indispensable for the purpose of instituting and maintaining the said petition.”

They requested “an order directing the 1st Respondent to forthwith grant access to the Petitioners/Applicants and their Solicitors, agents, experts and other staff to inspect, photocopy, scan, pay for and obtain certified copies of all documents used by the 1st Respondent for the conduct of the Ogun State Governorship Election held on 9th of March, 2019, for the purpose of instituting and maintaining Election Petition; the said documents being the ones contained in the schedule attached to the Supporting Affidavit to this application;

“An order allowing/permitting the Petitioners/Applicants (for the purpose of instituting and maintaining an Election Petition) to inspect, scan, photocopy, pay for and obtain certified copies of the electoral documents contained in the schedule attached to the Application, same being the documents that are in the custody of and were used by the 1st Respondent in the conduct of the Governorship Election that took place in Ogun State on 9th March, 2019.

“An order directing the 1st Respondent to promptly abide by the orders of this court, made in the terms of the Ex parte application.”

The motion was filed for the petitioners by Onyechi Ikpeazu, who will be leading three other senior advocates including Mamman Osman, Sebastine Hon and Ahmed Raji, and 12 other lawyers.

The petition was supported by a five-paragraph affidavit and a written address.