Election petitions: I’m yet to get original copies of subpoena, says WAEC controller

Star witness in the Kwara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, Bamidele Amode Thursday said he is yet to receive the original copies of the subpoena from the Lagos headquarters of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The tribunal had adjourned to Thursday for full hearings to begin in the petition of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Razaq Atunwa challenging the declaration of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the governor of the state.

PDP and Atunwa had alleged that the governor had presented a forged certificate.

Mr. Amode who is the Kwara state Branch Controller appeared on subpoena by the PDP.


Amode’s statement led to the PDP counsel Paul Erokoro (SAN) requesting the tribunal to step down the case for Amode to present evidence of the subpoena and that he had been asked to represent the examination body.

Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Rowland Otaru objected to the application, insisting that it amounted to needless waste of time by the petitioners.

Otaru said the petitioners had nearly three weeks since the tribunal adjourned to get the WAEC representative to appear before the tribunal to prove its case but waited till June 9 to serve the subpoena.
Otaru suggested that the petitioners ought to call another witness if it has a case to prove rather than ask for any adjournment.
Counsel to AbdulRazaq Kunle Kalejaiye (SAN) and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Akin Olujimi (SAN) aligned with the INEC’s position, insisting the application was strange.

Chief Olujimi said that “the application is very strange to the extreme. This is the first time I will hear counsel making such an application. What l am familiar with is if the bench is tired or has some other engagement to deal with, certainly, not a discretion vested in any counsel to stop his witness midway and ask the court to step down it down to another day.

“The application is a clear evidence of lack of diligent prosecution on the part of the petitioners. Today’s date for hearings has been fixed a long time ago.”

The tribunal however granted the application, saying the petitioners were still within their time limit of four days to argue their case.
Accordingly, the tribunal adjourned proceeding till Friday to enable WAEC representative present his subpoena.