Segun Showunmi in Ibadan
The five-man election petition tribunal set up by Oyo State government to looked into irregularities in the last local government election in the state has upheld election in Ibarapa East Local Government area of the state.
Penpushing reports that the election tribunal, headed by Justice Mojeed Ishola also dismissed the petitions filed by the candidate of Labour Party, Masolanu Adeola alleging that the poll was full of irregularities.
The Labour Party candidate had alleged that the elections was associated with violence, adding that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Gbenga Obalowo, who was declared as winner by electoral body never gets the majority votes.
Penpushing further reports in the judgment delivered on Friday 30th July 2021 in Ibadan, the court ruled in favour of respondents and nullified Labpur Party(LP) petitions for inconsistency and non – availability of necessary proofs to set aside the election.
The Counsel l to the electoral commission, Mr.Tunji Ogunrinde speaking on the judgement, stated that Labour Party( LP) could not provide duplicates of the results sheet to authenticate their allegation that results of election declared by the commission were not correct .
Penpushing further reports that Ogunrinde added that the party also failed to present the required numbers of witnesses before the tribunal, while evidences of witnesses who attested for the petitioner were contradictory.
“Minimum of 140 witnesses were expected to attest to claims of Labour party, but about 14 were called at the end. Some witnesses, affirmed that the elections were held, which started, 9:45am and ended 4pm, contrary to claim by the party that elections conducted were not known to law”
“Also , there is no prove of violence by witnesses which could call for fresh election as contained in the petition .Election was only disrupted in ward 5 , out of ten wards , which was cancelled by OYSIEC. All these were put in to consideration by the court and concluded that their reliefs are not grantable because the petition lacks merit.”
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