The Election Petition Tribunal panel sitting on the petition by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the July 16 poll in Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, has granted the governor’s application to serve the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, notice of the petition through substituted means.
Oyetola had challenged Adeleke’s victory at the poll before the tribunal and also joined the Independent National Electoral Commission and the PDP in the suit.
The tribunal, at its maiden sitting on Monday in Osogbo, also granted the motion ex parte filed for an order for the inspection of documents in the custody of INEC, being the first respondent in the suit.
Counsel for Oyetola and the APC, Mr Yomi Aliyu, had told the tribunal, which was presided over by the chairman of the panel, Justice Tertsea Kume, and also had Justice Benedict Ogbuli, that a bailiff given the task could not serve Adeleke the notice of the petition.
Aliyu further explained that the person he met at the entrance to the PDP candidate’s residence in Ede refused to take the document from the bailiff that went to serve him.
He told the panel that he would prefer that the notice be pasted on the notice board at the entrance of the tribunal sitting venue.
Ruling on the two motions, Justice Kume granted the reliefs sought by Oyetola and ordered that the notice should be pasted on the notice board at the entrance to the venue of the tribunal sitting.
Kume also granted a request by the petitioners to scan the voter registers and ballot papers used for the election.
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