#EkitiGate: Ekiti Chief Magistrate Orders Arrest Of Aluko For Perjury

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016

By Akin Soneyin

Following his confession last weekend and Monday on the sinister roles he others played in the June 21, 2014, Ekiti State Governorship Election, a Chief Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, Wednesday ordered the State Commissioner of Police (CP) to arrest a former State’s Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Temitope Aluko, for perjury.

The Chief Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye’s order was sequel to a Motion ex-parte with reference number MAD/10cm/2016, filed by the Ekiti State Government against Aluko and the State’s CP in pursuant to Section 117 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, law of Ekiti State 2012, Section 79 of the Ekiti State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2014 and Section 23 (D) of the Magistrates’ Courts Law 2014.

The State Director of Public Prosecution, Gbemiga Adaramola, in the motion prayed for an order of the court to issue warrant of arrest on Aluko – to be executed by the State’s CP.

In his ruling, Magistrate Adegboye held that the order was granted as a means for Aluko to appear in the court for defence.

The suit was premised upon an application to the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice by a lawyer, Mr. Sunday Olowolafe, who prayed that the accused prosecution was for “alleged perjury”.

“I hereby apply to your office that Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko be arrested and sued for perjury in view of the interview recently granted on Channels Television by 8:00pm on Sunday 31 January, 2016.

“The said Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko now recanted the evidence he gave in the cause of the hearing of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition as a star witness even up to the Supreme Court. The Certified True Copy of the State on Oath, evidence of Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko in Court on the 12/11/14 and Nigerian Tribune and The Punch newspapers of Monday, 01/02/2016 that reported the interview granted are hereto
attached.

“It is to be noted that this if this act (Perjury) is not looked into, it will definitely defile the cause of justice and consequently rubbished the judicial proceedings”, pleaded the prosecution Counsel.

The affidavit which was filed in support of the motion ex-parte by the State’s Governor Ayodele Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, argued that Aluko, who was a witness before the State’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sworn to a Statement on Oath on August 4, 2014 wherein he stated that the Election was not only free and fair, but devoid of violence, thuggery, hooliganism, snatching of ballot boxes, and related forms of electoral disorderliness.

Fayose’s aide averred that the defendant tendered and adopted his Statement on Oath on November 12, 2014 and further gave evidence under cross examination.

It would be recalled Dr. Aluko confirmed at his interview sessions with two private television stations, that the June 21, 2014 gubernatorial poll scandal, otherwise referred to as Ekitigate which has been exposed by a serving Army Officer, Captain Sagir Koli, who was involved in the scam planning and widely reported by the Nigerian mass media last year.

Except former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, some other suspects, including Fayose have variously; evasively or subtly admitted the manipulated election which produced the incumbent Governor.

One of Aluko’s grouse against Fayose according to his confession was renege by the latter to appoint him as his Chief of Staff, upon being elected into the office.