Tribunal reserves judgement on Kashamu’s election

ABEOKUTA—National and state Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital has reserved judgement in a petition brought before it against the Senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, Prince Buruji Kashamu.

Buruji Kashamu

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the March 28 presidential and national assembly election, Dapo Abiodun, approached the tribunal in a case numbered EPT/SEN/ABK/001/2015 claiming that he was validly elected but was denied victory.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, all the Counsels in the matter adopted their final addresses and made final submissions on their cases.

The Chairman of the three man panel, Justice Ebiowei Tobi said he reserved judgement to a later date which ”will be communicated to counsels.”

Earlier,   Counsel   to Kashamu, Ajibola Oluyede (SAN) said the petition was brought based on documents produced by the petitioner himself saying such documents are not admissible before the court.

Counsel to the petitioner, Yusuf Ali (SAN) had argued that result sheets made available to agents at the polling units were different from the Certified True Copies brought before the court by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

In his alternative prayer, Ali also prayed the court to nullify Kashamu’s election on ground that Dapo Abiodun won the majority valid votes.

Adding that the Senator was not qualified to contest the election in the first place because of his alleged drug related cases against him.

While Ali hinted that he would approach a higher court should the tribunal fail to grant his prayers, Oluyede insisted that; “There can’t do otherwise, there must be justice.”

 

Tribunal reserves judgement on Kashamu’s election