Akeredolu alleges irregularities in Ondo guber election

By Dayo Johnson

Akure — THE governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN,  in Ondo State in the last governorship election, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, yesterday, alleged that the election was marred with massive irregularities.

Akeredolu appeared before the Election Petition tribunal sitting in Akure as one of the 41 witnesses that he and his party called to testify in the matter.

He said exhibit P52A, P1H12, P16G12 included voters’ register and insisted that the election was marred which frauds.

The candidate who cited the case of Isowopo, Akoko 01, Ward 08, Unit 12, said the irregularities discovered were perpetrated in all units in the state.

He told the tribunal that his case and that of his party was very clear but that the tribunal must and could only understand the case by going through the exhibit and relate it with the findings of the experts, arguing that both must be connected.

Akeredolu said: “There were cases of double registration where voters appeared twice with different VIN number.”

He said one Abdulai Idris appeared two times with different VIN number.

The former NBA President added that there were people that were marked to have voted who were invalid registrants and whose thumbprints were not captured.

Akeredolu who was led in evidence by his counsel, Oluwole Aina, said his claims before the tribunal was contained in his petition.

During cross examination by the first, second and third respondents led by Mr. Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Akeredolu, was asked whether his agents were in all polling units in the state for the election.

He told the tribunal that his agents were chased out from most of the polling units, saying the ACN only had few agents in few polling units.

When asked about his voter’s card and if he registered in the state, Akeredolu said he did not register in Ondo State in 2011, but had a transfer of his voter’s card to Ondo State legally, under section 13 of the electoral act, following the procedure.

Akeredolu said that he transferred his voter’s card from Jericho in Ibadan where he was initially resident.

Olanipekun asked if his registration was also part of the injections as analyses by the expert.

Akeredolu said the expert was very specific in the course of his presentation, adding that there were categories of voters injected and those that might have come under review of voters register or transfer.

The candidate of the PDP chief olusola Oke is to open his defence later yesterday.