The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital has admitted in evidence documents tendered by Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, FNIM, OON, governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the March 18th 2023 election.
The tribunal which sat on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th July 2023, respectively admitted the evidences tendered by the lead counsel to Gbagi, Mr. Magaji Mato Ibrahim, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
The counsel to the SDP gubernatorial candidate told the 3-man panel of Justices led by Justice C.H Ahuchaogu, that the election which produced the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori, as governor of the state, was characterized with irregularities, electoral malpractices, non-compliance to the 2022 Electoral Act, among others.
Though, counsels to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Respondents said they would canvass the reasons for their objections in their final written addresses, made failed attempts to object to the evidences but it was deadlocked.
Justice Ahuchaogu, told the counsels that in as much they have allowed the documents to be tendered from the bar, their actions implies that they have given their consent for the documents to be tendered.
He however told them that they have the opportunity to object in their final written addresses as earlier said by them.
After much argument from the counsels, which bowed to the superior argument of Magaji, Justice Ahuchaogu, ruled that the petitioners even a in situation where the documents are formally admitted would still need to prove or establish the substance of such documents.
Granting Magaji’s application to tender the documents, Justice Ahuchaogu, said: “we grant the application for the counsel to tender such documents”.
The admissibility of the documents tendered by the counsel to Gbagi, a renowned Criminologist, threw the counsels to the opponents off balance as they battled fruitlessly to save their faces and that of their clients.
The case was then adjourned to 19th and 20th July 2023, for continuation of hearing.