Ogun Election tribunal announces date to hear Adebutu’s petition.

The Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal has agreed on the date for the start of hearing of a petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladi Adebutu.

Adebutu of the PDP is challenging the re-election of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that there are alleged cases of over-voting, gross misconduct and non-compliance with the electoral act in the election.

Ending the pre-hearing sections on Thursday, the tribunal announced July 4 as the day to tender all documents and papers that were not objected to by either the petitioners or the respondents to the court.

The Ogun State election court said the hearing proper and the calling of witnesses would start on July 5, 2023 with other fixed dates.

Speaking on the announced date, Chairman of the tribunal, Hamidu Kunaza, said: “Documents that are unopposed will be tendered and admitted from the bar on July 4, while the trial and calling of witnesses commence on July 5.”

Before time, the tribunal had thrown out with his judgement an application by Adebutu challenging a claim by Abiodun that he engaged in vote buying during the election.

Abiodun had in his responses to Adebutu’s petition accused him of vote buying during the March 18 election.

Adebutu, in his counter application, asked the tribunal to strike out the paragraphs containing the claims that he bought votes during the election

The tribunal in it’s Judgement said Abiodun, being an appellant, has enough space to talk the way he deemed fit.

The tribunal would on July 4 commence hearing of the main petition, this comes after all other surrounding issues had been resolved.