A Chief Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital has ordered the State Commissioner of Police to arrest the former State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Temitope Aluko for perjury.
Chief Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye gave the order on Wednesday, upon a Motion Ex-parte filed by the Ekiti State Government against Aluko and the State Commissioner of Police.
In the Motion, which was filed and moved by the State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Gbemiga Adaramola, an order of the court was sought to issue arrest warrant against Aluko to be executed by the State Commissioner of Police to detain Aluko for trial for perjury.
Chief Magistrate Adegboye said the order was granted as a means for the first defendant Aluko to attend the court for defence.
The matter was premised upon an application to the State Attorney General by a lawyer Sunday Olowolafe, calling for the prosecution of Aluko for the perjury.
The legal practitioner said, “I hereby apply to your office that Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko be arrested and sued for perjury in view of the interview recently granted on Channels Television by 8:00pm on Sunday 31 January, 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 Petition as a star witness even up to the Supreme Court. The Certified True Copy of the State on Oath, evidence of Dr. Temitope Kolawole Aluko in Court on the 12/11/14 and Nigerian Tribune and The Punch newspapers of Monday, 01/02/2016 that reported the interview granted are hereto attached.
“It is to be noted that if this act (perjury) is not looked into, it will definitely defile the cause of justice and consequently rubbish the judicial proceedings.”
In the affidavit filed in support of the motion ex-parte by Special Assistant to the State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, he said 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.
Olayinka further averred that Mr Aluko tendered and adopted his Statement on Oath on November 12, 2014 and further gave evidence under cross examination.
He stated that all what Aluko said on Channels TV on Sunday, January 31, 2016 were contrary to and opposite in direction to his evidence before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Issuing the warrant of arrest against Aluko, Chief Magistrate Adegboye said since the court had the power to grant the order and it will serve the interest of justice, the State Commissioner of Police should arrest Aluko for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting him.
-Vanguard
