APC, PDP quarrel over missing exhibits

LAWYERS  representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) traded words yesterday over missing exhibits as they  inspect materials used for the August 9 Osun State governorship election.
The lawyers inspected the materials at the INEC state headquarters on Gbongan Road, Osogbo.
The crisis  started as the commission’s Deputy Director of Electoral Operations, Mr. Azeez Olatunji, announced that  items and electoral materials to be inspected for the day were those of Obokun and Ila-Orangun Local Governments.
The deputy director, who stated that the PDP  requested to inspect materials of 17 local governments, sought the cooperation of the two parties.
He listed items to be inspected as ballot papers, election registers, result sheets, adding that if other materials,  such as cubicle and ballot boxes are needed to be inspected, it would be allowed.
Its Administrative Secretary, Oladipo Oladapo, assured the two parties that the commission would be fair.
Similarly, the commission’s Legal Adviser, Wiltep Ishaku, who presided over the inspection, told both parties to cooperate with INEC’s officials.
But it was later discovered that an Exhibit tagged “A” was missing.
Some lawyers from the APC said the inspection should not continue, but the PDP lawyers pleaded that the exhibit could still be produced.
The PDP lawyers said the inspection could begin with the available ones.
The development infuriated the APC lawyers as they maintained their stand that nothing would be done until the exhibit is produced.
A lawyer from APC Daud Akinloye and another from PDP, Kehinde Adesiyan, exchanged hot words before the INEC Administrative Secretary ordered that the “Exhibit A” should be produced before the beginning of the inspection.