No issue with Kwara gov elect’s certificate — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday dismissed a report that it has been asked to produce the WAEC certificate of the Kwara State Governor-elect, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Counsel to INEC, Rowland Otaru (SAN), disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the state capital. Otaru said, “The tribunal did not at any time order INEC to produce the WAEC certificate of Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

“The governor-elect has presented his certificate; which is very genuine. There is nothing like falsification of result or whatever. They are there. They are public records. It is not something to be hidden. The documents the governor-elect tendered met the requirements of the law.”

Earlier at the tribunal’s prehearing session, INEC tendered two documents (Forms ECAD and ECAE) which contained the results of the election across the 16 local government areas and declaration of result for the office of the governor.

INEC added that the documents affirmed that AbdulRazaq was the winner of the election.

Otaru further said, “Those are the documents we have now at this pre-hearing session. Every other document will come in during the real trial.”

The PDP and its candidate, Abdulrazak Atunwa, were challenging the genuineness or otherwise of the WAEC certificate of AbdulRazaq at the tribunal.

Counsel to PDP and its governorship candidate, Kingsley Odey, did not object to the tendering of the document.

Odey told the court that he intended to call up five witnesses, adding that one would be a document expert while the other would be subpoenaed from the WAEC office.

Counsel to AbdulraRazaq, H.O Afolabi, promised to call seven witnesses, adding that the tribunal had the power to streamline and limit the number of witnesses to call.

He urged the tribunal to be kind enough to let them work within the timeframe allocated, saying “that is my supplication. This is the best approach through which I can ventilate the defence of my clients.”

Counsel to APC, Chief Yomi Aliyu, said he intended to call two witnesses during real trial.

The pre-hearing conference continues today for the streamlining of trial timetable.