Governorship election: APC faults PDP’s claims

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate in Lagos State, Mr Abdulazeez Adediran (Jandor) has told the State Election Tribunal that the processes that led to the sponsorship candidacy of the governor elect, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP) was unlawful.

Jandor said this while being cross-examined by the leading counsel for APC, Mr Muiz Banire (SAN).

He said a party was valid to have sponsored a candidate validly, if the section of the electoral act preceded the sponsorship of such candidate
in a general election was strictly adhered to.

“Election is a process and not an event. The process of their nomination that led to the party sponsorship of the candidates is unlawful,” Jandor said.

He said though he did not work for INEC or WAEC, and also did not attend Ijebu-Ife Community Grammar School where Sanwo-Olu purportedly graduated from but he confirmed from WAEC verification portal to ascertain that the governor lied on oath that he sat for WAEC 1981.

Jandor, while being led evidence by his counsel Mr Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN) told the tribunal that a private investigation he carried out on the validity of the West African Examination Council, on WAEC result verification portal showed that the governor elect did not have a certificate.

The Chairman of the three-man tribunal committee, Justice Arum Igyen-Ashom, admitted 12 documents which Jandor tendered through his counsel into evidence.

One of the document was the print out from WAEC Result verification portal carried out by the PDP governorship candidate dated to invalidate that Sanwo-Olu had WAEC result.

The witness, while being questioned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mr Adetunji Oyeyipo, said that he bought a WAEC scratch card on the instruction of WAEC to check for Sanwo-Olu’s result on WAEC portal showed “Result not available for this Candidate in the specified year and Exam date.

While under cross-examination by the APC lead counsel, Mr Norrison Quakers (SAN), he told the tribunal that in his witness on oath paragraph five, he was sponsored by his party.

He confirmed to the court he was not a member of PDP in 2018 and that he was not declared a winner of the 2023 election because Sanwo-Olu was alleged to have unlawfully declared.

Jandor reiterated that he knew the implication of lying on oath.

While being cross-examined by Rhodes-Vivour’s counsel, Mr Uchechukwu Ani, he said he was never a member of LP but he knew the primary election of the party held on June 1 2022 and Aug.10 2022 respectively through the document he received from INEC.

According to him, Rhodes-Vivour’s Form EC9 was submitted on Aug. 13 2022 but had been endorsed on July 4 2022 before the primary election that produced him as Candidate of Labour Party.

He said Rhodes-Vivour’s form was not properly sponsored by Law as his Form EC9 was sworn to on the 4th of July, long before he emerged as candidate of Labour Party.

Jandor confirmed to the court while being cross-examined by the counsel for LP, Mr I.O. Benson that his grouse with the fifth and sixth respondents were not not nomination but sponsorship.

Another witness, Mr Shakiru Apena, the party manager, adopted his statement on oath dated April while testifying before the tribunal.

Apena, while under cross-examination by Banire said that he was briefed of Sanwo-Olu’s WAEC certificate by Jandor.

“We went to a business center, bought a WAEC scratch card to verify the result.

“We verified the WAEC result after the election,” he said.

Banire asked if APC complained to the witness that Sanwo-Olu was not sponsored by them.

He said ” I do not have a relationship with APC and I never worked for them,”

“I put it to you that it was the computer system that told you that the second defendant did not attend secondary school,” Banire asked

“It was not computer. It was the WAEC result verification portal ,” Apena said.

The party manager said Form EC9 was a form designed by INEC for nominees of political parties after validly conducted primary election for the purpose of sponsoring the nominee in a general election and which were usually forwarded to INEC for documentation.

“As a party manager of PDP, the national chairman and the national secretary were empowered to authenticate the list and sent to INEC.

The witness, while being cross-examined by the second lead counsel of APC, Mr Babatunde Ogala (SAN) said he was not a member of National Working Committee (NWC) and that he did not know when the nomination of the second defendant was submitted.

Babatunde Ogala further handed form EC9 of Sanwoolu and Hamzat to the witness to confirm if the oath declaration page of their form EC9 were attached and submitted to INEC.

“The process for the sponsorship candidacy for the third defendant was also null and void,” he said .

The witness further said he had not met one Prof. Fagbemi Awamaridi and that the WAEC certificate of Sanwo-Olu was alleged to have been fraudulently procured while under cross-examination by the second lead counsel of Rhodes-Vivour, Mr Folashade Benson.

“After going through WAEC server via scratch card and we could not find the certificate online, we went to Ijebu-Ife Community Grammar School and met with the principal.

“He did not appreciate what we were looking for and at a point, he excused himself and never returned.

“I do not know the principal’s name because he did not give us time to interact with him,” the witness said.

The witness said he was not aware of any suit instituted by his party against against LP in Federal High Court, Abuja.

Apena told the tribunal he was the secretary of the elder council, former deputy state chairman for six years and the chairman, disciplinary committee for four years.

He said he had never occupied the position of a ward chairman.

Other members of the tribunal were Justice Mikail Adubulahi and Justice l.P. Braimoh.

The tribunal adjourned until June 21 for continuation of hearing