A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti has ordered the State Commissioner of Police, Etop James, to arrest and prosecute former State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Temitope Aluko, for perjury.
Chief Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye granted the order following a motion exparte 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 for the first defendant (Aluko) to attend the court for defence.
Moving the application, Adaramola urged the court to issue warrant of arrest against Aluko 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.
Aluko had in confessional statements made to the media revealed how the PDP rigged the June 21 governorship election for Governor Ayodele Fayose.
He also claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan gave Fayose N4.7bn cash for the election.
The motion (no: MAD/10CM/2016), brought on four grounds, also sought any order as the court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.
The motion was supported by a nine-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the Special Assistant to the State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.
Olayinka averred that Aluko, who was a witness before the 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.
According to him, all what Aluko said in the media were contrary to his evidence before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
