The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Monday, dismissed two petitions filed by two political parties – the Action Peoples Party, APP, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP – against the re-election of Dapo Abiodun during the March 18 governorship election.
The APP had filed its petition challenging the return of Abiodun as the governor-elect in the Ogun State governorship election held on 18 March, 2023.
It however deposed, in its application for discontinuation moved on Monday morning, that “upon the re-evaluation of the grounds and facts of the oetition, the petitioner is not reasonably convinced about the sustainability of the grounds of the petition as presently constituted before this honourable tribunal.”
The APP declared that the withdrawal of the petition is based on the fact that upon a further evaluation of the petition, the petitioner had found that the respondent won the highest number of lawful votes as duly recognised by the Independent Natıonal Electoral Commission, INEC, and as permitted by law.”
On its own, the chairman of the NNPP in the state, Sunday Oginni, had disclosed that the party, which filed a petition against Abiodun before the tribunal over the alleged omission of the party’s logo on the ballot papers for the governorship election by INEC was ready to withdraw.
Oginni announced, “The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Ogun State chapter, under the leadership of Comrade Olaposi Oginni Sunday hereby step out of court and withdraw the suit with petition number: EPT/OG/GOV/01/2023.”
He added, “We came to realise that on that same date, March 18, despite the fact that INEC did not comply with the Electoral Act that stipulated that the name and logo must be on the ballot, the electorate still managed to vote for some of NNPP’s candidates and some of our candidates won in some places. For example, in Kano State, the governorship candidate of our party and candidates of NNPP for the House of Assembly and House of Representatives were declared winners.”
The chairman of the tribunal upheld the applications of the two parties and dismissed the petitions accordingly.
