Dele Olaosebikan
AN official of a leading commercial bank in Nigeria, Monday, narrated to the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta how the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 18th March 2023 election conducted in the state, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, requested the bank to issue 200,000 preloaded ATM cards containing N10, 000 each.
The bank (identity withheld by us) was subpoenaed by the tribunal to further shed light on the allegation of vote-buying levelled against the PDP governorship standard-bearer.
Counsel to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, had earlier informed the panel that two letters were submitted to the said bank in February, seeking clarification on how Adebutu opened a special account for the purpose of his action with the bank as well as the request he made for issuance of 200,000 preloaded ATM cards containing N10, 000 each, some days before the 18 March gubernatorial election.
While giving evidence, the bank official tendered the certified true copy of a letter written to the bank by Oladipupo Adebutu dated 27th February 2023, two days after the presidential election which the PDP lost, requesting to open an account for the production of 200,000 ATM Verve cards containing N10,000 each and totalling two billion naira.
The official also presented a certified true copy of another letter written by Adebutu and addressed to the bank dated the same 27th February 2023, requesting for the issuance of the 200, 000 ATM Verve cards.
The bank staffer also tendered a record of the delivery of and collection of the prepaid ATM cards to Adebutu, and the sample of the card, including the statement of account opened in the name of Oladipupo Adebutu, which indicates the inflow and outflow of the account from February to May 2023, and Certificate of Compliance.
Two other witnesses for the Respondents, Mr Odesanya Olalekan, an artisan from Ijebu North East, and Adeosun Waheed, a businessman from Abeokuta North – second and third witnesses – both confirmed the distribution of the preloaded ATM cards by PDP members on the day of the election.
Odesanya Olalekan produced a copy of the preloaded card, which was marked RA13, on his part, Adeosun Waheed, under cross-examination by counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN) and Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye (SAN), respectively, confirmed that the preloaded ATM cards were distributed by Adebutu (popularly known as Baba Ijebu), adding that the cards had the inscription of Mrs Caroline Adebutu, the mother of the PDP candidate.
On further cross-examined, the witness testified that members of the PDP disrupted the voting process in the course of their resistance to the use of the BVAS in the conduct of the election.
Meanwhile, counsel to the petitioners, Gordy Uche, in his remarks, expressed his decision to reserve his objection on the tendering of various documents and letters, including the collection and delivery of the cards until the final address.
He, also, objected to the tendering of the copy of the cards shared by the petitioner on the day of the election but postponed the details of his objection to the final address.
Counsel to the second respondent (Governor Dapo Abiodun), Prof Taiwo Osipitan, then applied for an adjournment and said that the next witness would tender some important documents, informing the court of closing his case on Tuesday.
The tribunal admitted in evidence the copy of the subpoena and marked it as exhibit RA5, also the letter tendered by the 1st witness, requesting for ATM by Adebutu was admitted as exhibit RA6.
In the same vein, the letter of deposit of N2 billion was marked as exhibit RA7.
There was no re-examination;
Further hearing in the petition was adjourned till today, Tuesday 8th August 2023.
Eighteen-Eleven Media