A two-term lawmaker representing the Ibadan South East/ North East Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Hon. Adigun Abass Adekunle, yesterday told the National Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, that he never renounced his Nigerian citizenship or claimed to be an American citizen when he was serving as a Naval Officer in the US Army.
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives member who also asserted that he never pledged allegiance to any other country apart from Nigeria, made the declaration while giving his evidence as a Respondent in the petition filed against him and his party (Peoples Democratic Party) by his co-contestant, Lam Adesina Adedapo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The petitioner who was a former House of Representatives member for the constituency and a son to a former Oyo State Governor, the late Alhaji Lam Adesina, lost the February 25 election to Adigun (a.k.a. ‘Agboworin’) who polled 28, 111 votes. Adedapo had polled 27, 338 votes.
“There was however a supplementary election at Ward 7, Unit 18 of the Ibadan South East where the INEC cancelled the result and ordered a rerun over non-compliance with the 2022 Electoral Act provisions. In the April 15, 2023, supplementary poll, Adigun still won with 27 votes against 13 votes garnered by his contender.
Adesina, a former Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the administration of Late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, had in his petition filed through his lawyer, Akinyemi Olujinmi, alleged that Adigun claimed to be an American citizen in the Expression of Interest Form he filled for the election and that he claimed he did not have former names he was bearing before contesting in 2019 and 2023.
He accused the Oyo State INEC of illegally declaring his opponent as a winner of the February 25, 2023 election, claiming that the lawmaker was not qualified to have contested ab initio.
Led in evidence by his lawyer, Yusuff Olatunji Ogunrinde, as well as, counsel to the INEC, (Ayodeji Akerele), and the PDP, (Akeem Aponmade), the lawmaker said that the academic credentials he submitted to the PDP and the INEC in the 2019 election were still the same he submitted in 2023.
On the allegation that he was employed by the US Army as a Naval Officer, and he thereby claimed to have both Nigerian and US citizenships, Adigun told the Tribunal that it is not a pre-condition that one must be an American citizen before he can be qualified to work with the country’s Army.
“When one joins the US Military, all you need is your Green Card. It does not deter one from being a citizen of another country. And it is not compulsory that one must renounce his citizenship. I never renounced mine”, he said.
The National Diploma holder from the Offa Polytechnic, Kwara State responded to the allegation that he falsely claimed in the form he filled out that he attended the school between 2002-2005, saying that he was actually a student of the Polytechnic between 1992 and 1995, claiming that it was a human error. He said that the correct date of 1992-1995 was actually written on his National Diploma certificate from the School.
Confronted with a website (Spokeo) Report that had a publication on Abass Adigun, the lawmaker told Olujinmi that: “I do not know anything about Spokeo. My own name is Adigun Abass Adekunle”.
His lawyer, Ogunrinde who had earlier informed the tribunal that he would call 46 witnesses to debunk the petitioners’ claims, however, said that he had reviewed his position and the evidence led, and so would not call any other witness again.
“We are hereby closing our case”, he said. Akerele and Aponmade (counsel to the INEC and the PDP) also said that they were not calling any witnesses as they had rested their evidence on that led by Ogunrinde.
The three-man panel led by Justice A. M. Yakubu, thereafter adjourned to September 1, 2023, for the Petitioner and the Respondents to adopt their final written addresses after which judgment will be delivered on the matter.
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