By Nicholas Ojo
The Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal, sitting in Ado Ekiti, has upheld the election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji as the duly elected governor of Ekiti State.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Wilfred Kpochi who read the judgment in the petition filed by filled by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Seguin Oni threw away the petition for lacking in merit.
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Oyebanji affirmed the victory of the All Progressives Congress Candidate, as the validly elected governor in the June 18 Election in the state.
In the judgment read by the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi and a member of the Panel, Justice Sa’ad Zadawa, resolved all issues in contention against Oni and his party, SDP.
The Panel held that the petition filed by Oni against the return of Oyebanji and Afuye respectively “failed woefully head or tail.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in the early hours of June 19, 2022, declared Oyebanji, former secretary to the state government (SSG), the winner of the poll with a total number of 187,057 with the APC candidate winning in 15 out of the 16 local government areas.
Oni who came second with 82,211 votes did not win any local government area while the PDP candidate, Chief Bisi Kolawole, who won in one local government area came third with 67,457 votes.
Total number of accredited voters was 356,438 while the total number of valid votes cast was 369,753. Total number of rejected votes was 8,888.
Oni had urged the tribunal to allow his petition and declare him the winner of the poll claiming to have scored total number of highest lawful votes cast on grounds that Oyebanji’s nomination by Buni in his capacity as the APC National Caretaker Chairman was illegal.
But Oyebanji, APC, Buni, INEC and Afuye urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the ground that the petitioner lacked merit, urging the panel to uphold the election on grounds that it complied with the Electoral Act and the Constitution.