In a recent development, the Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja has mandated the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, to be present in court on the following day.
Reportedly, the governor is required to provide clarifications regarding the involvement of the apex bank in the off-cycle election held in Kogi on November 11, 2023.
Under the leadership of Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, the three-member panel of justices has also issued a warning to the Director of Corporate Service at the CBN.
This decision followed an application made by Alex Izinyon, SAN, the legal representative for Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State, who is the second respondent in the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate in the state’s governorship election.
Earlier, on April 18, the tribunal had issued a subpoena to compel the CBN governor or any designated officer to appear and provide evidence related to the allegations made by Gov. Ododo regarding the timing of the petition filed against him.
Although the panel had set a date of April 19 for the appearance of the CBN governor or their representative, no one from the apex bank was present at the hearing.
Following the examination of witnesses on Monday by Paul Daudu, who represented the governor, and their subsequent cross-examination, the case was handed over to another team member for the next adjourned date.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the absence of CBN representatives, Izinyon criticized the bank’s communication to the tribunal, labeling it as “an act of contempt”.
He emphasized the importance of addressing the subpoena issue before proceeding further and stressed the need for the CBN team to appear in court the next day to give their testimony.
Supporting Izinyon’s arguments, other legal counsels present at the tribunal aligned with the application for the CBN’s appearance and emphasized the urgency of the matter due to its time-sensitive nature.
In the ruling delivered by Justice Birnin-Kudu, it was reiterated that the subpoena was directed specifically at the CBN governor and the bank’s Director of Corporate Service, emphasizing the seriousness of the directive issued by the tribunal.
Consequently, the tribunal adjourned the proceedings until April 23 to allow for the continuation of the second respondent’s defense and for the CBN to comply with the court’s directive.
Additionally, Izinyon informed the tribunal about their request for the record of proceedings to ensure accuracy and consistency with the tribunal’s records, which was promptly addressed by Justice Birnin-Kudu.
Prior to this ruling, witnesses from Kogi’s Adavi and Okehi LGAs had testified in support of Ododo’s election victory.