Court Drama: "I Don't Have Two Eyes", Accord Candidate Tells Tribunal

The venue of the election tribunal at the State high court 14 hearing the petition brought before it by the candidate of Accord in the March 28, 2015 house of representatives election in Ibadan North East/South East federal constituency, Hon. Gbenga Adewusi, was thrown into laughter as the former council chairman of Ibadan North East told the court that he does not have two eyes.

Hon. Adewusi is challenging the result of election ‎that produced the son of the late former governor of Oyo State, Adedapo who is also the immediate past Commissioner for Applied Science, Industries and Technology; Hon. Adedapo Lam-Adesina of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner.

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Arole, as the Accord candidate is fondly called, said this while being asked by the defendant's lawyer, Barr. Adebayo Mutalubi Ojo during cross examination‎, if he was aware of electoral processes in other units apart from where he voted, A nervous and impatient Arole replied: "how will I know, I cannot because I don't have two eyes" The court was thrown into a comedy of some sorts immediately that lasted for seconds.

As if that was not enough, when being asked if the 104units he is challenging are eventually deducted from the total votes declared, that the winner will still not be affected and would have defeated him, he answered in the affirmative, YES based on the results declared by INEC. The counsel to Hon. Dapo Lam-Adesina ensured Mr. Gbenga Adewusi made use of the calculator to do the deductions himself. He later gave final figures of Accord to be 28,503 while APC had 30,508 which was documented by the tribunal.

Clad in a purple colour ankara, Arole entered the witness box exactly 4:57 pm and left around 5:52pm. After Arole, the tribunal also allowed one of the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs. Oguntade Toyin who is the EO for Ibadan South East LG to tender ballot papers used and unused in the election as exhibits before it and was cross-examined as a witness. She confirmed that the result of the election were all collated and signed by duly trained staff of the commission. She further stressed that INEC declared the APC candidate winner of the elections having scored the highest number of vote casted in the credible, free and fair elections devoid of any irregularities as been questioned by the loser.


When the venue became darker, around 7:23, the tribunal adjourned till Tuesday 18th August for further hearing.

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