Chief Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye gave this order on
Wednesday following an ex-parte motion
MAD/10cm/2016, filed by the Ekiti State
Government against Mr. Aluko and the State
Commissioner of Police, 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. In the motion,
which was filed and moved by the State Director of
Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr. Gbemiga
Adaramola, an order of the court was sought to
issue the warrant against Mr. Aluko to be executed
by the Commissioner for the purpose of committing
him to trial for perjury.
Chief Magistrate Adegboye said the order was
granted as a means for Aluko to attend the court to
defend himself. The matter was premised upon an
application to the State Attorney General by a
lawyer, Mr. Sunday Olowolafe, calling for the
prosecution of Mr. Aluko for alleged perjury, citing
an interview he gave to Channels Television last
Sunday. “The said Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko
now recanted the evidence he gave in the cause 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,”
Olowolafe declared. He stressed that unless looked
into, the matter would definitely defile the cause of
justice and rubbish the judicial proceedings. In an
affidavit filed in support of the motion by Lere
Olayinka, the Special Assistant to the State Governor
on Public Communications and New Media, he stated
that Mr. Aluko, who had been a witness before the
Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, swore to a
Statement on Oath on August 4, 2014 stating 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 further stated that everything that Aluko said on
Channels Television on Sunday contradicted his
evidence before the Ekiti State Governorship Election
Petition Tribunal. Issuing the warrant of arrest,
Chief Magistrate Adegboye said since the court had
the power to grant the order and that it will serve the
interest of justice, and therefore ordered the
Commissioner to arrest Aluko for the purpose of
investigating and prosecuting him.