Ogun: PDP’s witness blames lawyer for repetition, as Tribunal battles witnesses’ inconsistencies

As Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called more witnesses to testify before the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abeokuta on Monday, several inconsistencies and similarities in the witnesses’ statements have continued to trail the proceedings.

A witness, Mrs Mulikat Yemi, from Ota, while admitting similarities in her statement with another witness, Balogun Olanrewaju, during cross-examination by the counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including the same error and omission in paragraph 6 of their statements, told the tribunal to question her lawyer for the repetition.

One other witness, Thomas Abiodun, a photographer, who appeared before the panel for the party from Iyesi-Ota, in Ado Odo Ota Local Government, claimed to have signed the statement he presented on June 16, whereas, the statement was signed on 6th April.

Also, paragraphs 3 and 4 of his statement, after being sighted and compared were confirmed to be the same with other witnesses’ statements.

Abiodun further lied on oath when he told the Tribunal that his statement was based on his personal knowledge.

Meanwhile, after being cross-examined, he later changed this claim and said the information in his statement came from an unnamed official of INEC.

In the same vein, it was discovered after thorough scrutiny by Counsel to INEC that the witness statement submitted by another individual called by the PDP, Mr Kushimo Akeem, a cloth seller from Gbagura, in Abeokuta North Local Government, was the same as the previous witnesses’ statements earlier presented.