The Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Akure on Tuesday, April 20, dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Eyitayo Jegede against the election of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, in the October 10, 2020 gubernatorial election.
Recall that Akeredolu was re-el3ct3d for a second term in office as the governor of the Sunshine State.
Jegede had approached the tribunal seeking to upturn Akeredolu’s victory in the gubernatorial election.
Throuh his lead counsel, Ifedayo Adedipe, the PDP candidate, had averred before the tribunal that the election was marred by “irregularities, violence and intimidation of eligible voters.”
Jegede asked the tribunal to nullify Akeredolu’s victory and declare him as the winner of the election, while also seeking the nullification of the nomination of Akeredolu and Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the deputy governorship candidate of the APC for, on the basis that they were not duly nominated by their party.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared Akeredolu as the winner of the October 10, 2020 election, having polled a total 292,830 votes to defeat Jegede, who garnered 195,791 votes.
But counsel to the Ondo State governor, Akin Olujimi, asked the tribunal to dismiss that Jegede’s petition,because it lacked merit.
In it’s ruling, the three-man tribunal presided over by Justice Umar Abubakar, ruled that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction over the issues raised by Jegede and the PDP.
It said, “Issues raised therein in this petition are l issues of internal affairs and management of a political party, which this tribunal has no jurisdiction.”
The two-hour judgment, however, struck out Jegede’s petition for lack of jurisdictional merit.
