The kwara state Governorship Eletion petition Tribunal sitting in Ilorin has fixed September 20 to deliver judgement on the allegation of certificate forgery brought against Gov AbdulRahman AbdulRazak by the PDP candidate in the March 9 election, Alhaji Razaq Atunwa.
The PDP and its governorship candidate are challenging the election of Gov AbdulRahman AbdulRazak of the APC on the allegation that he does not have WAEC results as required by law.
The chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice bassey Effiong, fixed the date after listening to the final written addresses by the petitioners (PDP, Atunwa) and their respondents- the APC, Gov AbdulRazak and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In its final written address, the INEC had Wednesday urged the tribunal to dismiss a suit filed by Alhaji Atunwa of the PDP, challenging the election of Gov AbdulRazak of the APC.
But INEC counsel Rowland Ottaru, while adopting his final written addresses in the matter, argued that the petition has not been able to prove all the allegations of forgery.
“They intended to call some witnesses but refused to bring all their witnesses to court and the person they brought from WAEC, we were able to establish our cases through him
”The witness they brought also supported our position and mentioned that the certificates that the governor submitted to INEC were genuine and WAEC also confirmed that the certificate was genuine
“So the facts we have made is that, the WAEC result have been submitted to confirm that our position is genuine, and they have not been able to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt
“In any case when you allege crime or the commission of any crime or criminality, you must have to prove beyond reasonable doubt, which they have failed to do,” he said.
Also in his final argument, Mr Kunle Kalejaiye, counsel to Gov AbdulRazaq said a witness confirmed the authenticity of the WAEC certificate belonging to AbdulRazaq.
“The witness, Mohammed Yaro told the court that he finished from Government College, Kaduna, in 1976 with AbdulRazaq and they both sat for the WAEC examination
“The witness said that, the governor’s serial number in WAEC was 119, while his was 122
“Our witness confirmed to court that he was friends with Gov AbdulRazaq and both of them sat for the WAEC in June 1976 at the Government College in Kaduna, Kaduna State,” he said.
Also in his argument, Mr Kingsley Odey, counsel to the petitioner, claimed that Gov AbdulRasaq failed to produce his original WAEC certificate that he got in 1976.
”Unfortunately nothing of such was produced. Gov AbdulRazaq’s original WAEC certificate was never produced, except for the photocopy.
“They forged documents that was annexed to the second respondent, and submitted it to INEC. To buttress our point, the second respondent fed the witness that was brought to court as witness.
“The witness told the court that he sat for the exam in 1976 and after the examination, he was issued a WAEC certificate which he brought to court
“To embrace the fact that after the examination, he was issued a certificate, but the second respondent did not make any attempt to say that this is my WAEC certificate, with all the controversies surrounding all the forged certificates he submitted to INEC
“The second respondent has not said anything beyond the fact that he went to secondary school, what next? After secondary school, where did he proceed to?
“We have made our point, and it is left to the tribunal to do their own as neutral body, so we are waiting for the judgment,” he said.
