A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti has ordered the state Commissioner of Police, Etop James, to arrest and prosecute a former State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Temitope Aluko, for alleged perjury.
Chief Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye granted the order following a motion ex parte moved by the state Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Gbenga Adaramola.
But the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, said the command was ‘not aware of any warrant of arrest’.
Adegboye said the order was granted as a means of inviting Aluko to attend the court for defence.
Moving the application, Adaramola urged the court to issue a warrant of arrest against Aluko pursuant to Section 117 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012; Section 79 of the Ekiti State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2014 and Section 23(d) of the Magistrates Courts’ Laws, 2014.
Aluko had in confessional statements made to the media revealed how the PDP rigged the June 21 governorship election in favour of Governor Ayodele Fayose.
He also claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan gave Fayose N4.7bn cash to prosecute the election.
The motion was supported by a nine-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the Special Assistant to Fayose on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.
Olayinka averred that Aluko, who was a witness before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, swore 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 other related forms of electoral disorderliness.
He added that Aluko tendered and adopted his Statement on Oath on November 12, 2014 and further gave evidence under cross-examination.
According to him, all what Aluko said in the media were contrary to his evidence before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The Chief Magistrate said since the court had the power to grant the order and it would serve the interest of justice, the state commissioner of police should arrest Aluko for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting him.
A lawyer, Mr. Sunday Olowolafe, had written to the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, calling for the prosecution of Aluko for alleged perjury.
He said, “I hereby apply to your office that Dr. Temitope Kolawole Aluko be arrested and prosecuted for perjury in view of the interview recently granted on Channels Television by 8pm on Sunday, January 31, 2016.
“The said Dr. Temitope Kolawole Aluko now recanted the evidence he gave in the course of the hearing of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal as a star witness even up to the Supreme Court. The Certified True Copy of the Statement on Oath, evidence of Dr. Temitope Kolawole Aluko in court on the November 12, 2014 and the copies of Nigerian Tribune and The Punch newspapers of Monday, February 1, 2016 that reported the interview granted are hereto attached.
“It is to be noted that if this act is not looked into, it will definitely defile the course of justice and consequently rubbish the judicial proceedings.”
-punchng