By Kayode Adeoti
After a long legal battle, the 3-man panel of the Governorship Election Tribunal will determine the fate of Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections, Hon, Rasaq Atunwa on Monday 20th September, 2019.
Atunwa had approached the court challenging the veracity of the election that produced Abdulrazaq as governor of the state on the basis that the secondary school certificate he presented to the electoral body was forged.
The PDP candidate was of the opinion that the governor doesn’t have what it takes to run for the number one political office in Kwara State.
Respondents in the case are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Abdulrazaq and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the resumption of the hearing yesterday, the parties involved in the matter presented their final written addresses even as they canvassed their positions.
The addresses were however adopted by the election panel chaired by Justice Bassey Efiong.
Atunwa, who is the petitioner in the case, through his counsel, Wahab Bamidele called on the tribunal to hold that Abdulrazaq was not qualified to run in the election based on his alleged forged certificate.
The PDP’s candidate, who had listed several witnesses for the case, only called the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to testify in the matter.
In its testimony, however, WAEC said Abdulrazaq wrote the exams and had his certificate issued to him as Razaq A.R., the same name he 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.
The tribunal has reserved judgement in the case until September 20.
