The dispute emanating from the governorship election held on June 18, 2022 in Ekiti State and won by Governor Biodun Oyebanji has been postponed by the Election Petition Tribunal till a date to be informed to the parties.
All parties before the jury adopted their final written addresses on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, and the case’s three members’ chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, reserved judgment until a later time.
At the adoption of written addresses, Chief Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Governor Oyebanji, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked the Election Petition Tribunal to reject the petition.
Oyebanji argued that Oni and his party, the SDP, had utterly failed to persuade the Tribunal that the election had not been conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act and the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as amended.
The first and second petitioners in this action are Oni and the SDP. The respondents are Mai Mala Buni, the governor of Yobe State and chairman of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Oyebanji, the first respondent, the APC, INEC (4th), and the deputy governor, Mrs. Monisade Afuye (5th).
Oyebanji and Afuye (1st and 5th Respondents) through their counsel, Prof. Kayode Olatoke (SAN), told the Tribunal that their written address was dated 29th October and filed on 30th October and adopted same before the Tribunal as evidence that the election of his clients be affirmed.