Tribunal rules on Kwara guber election petition Sept. 20

By Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin

The Kwara state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has slated September 20 to give judgment in the petition filed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Rasak Atunwa challenging the election of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Atunwa is challenging AbdulRazaq’s election on the ground that the governor allegedly presented a forged secondary school certificate and was therefore, not qualified to run for governor, a claim Gov. AbdulRazaq insists is unfounded.

Respondents in the case are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

At the resumption of the hearing on Wednesday, counsels to Atunwa and the respondents spoke to and adopted their final written addresses before the three-man tribunal chaired by Justice Bassey Efiong.

While Atunwa called on the tribunal to hold that AbdulRazaq was not qualified to run in the election, AbdulRazaq said the petitioner failed to prove the allegation of forgery as the West African Examination Council (WAEC), which the petitioner had subpoenaed confirmed to the tribunal that the governor sat for its examination in 1976.

The respondents therefore, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

The PDP’s candidate, who had listed several witnesses for the case, only called the WAEC to testify in the matter. In its testimony, however, WAEC said AbdulRazaq wrote the examination and had his certificate issued to him as Razaq A.R, the same name used for the examination.

WAEC, which was represented by Olorunsola Victor, a senior examination officer, also told the tribunal that at least 31 other candidates also had their names abbreviated in the same year.

A classmate of the governor at the Kaduna Government College, Kabiru Yaro, who testified for the respondent, told the tribunal that the governor sat in front of him during the examination with serial number 119.