TRIBUNAL UPHOLDS MAKINDE’S RE-ELECTION IN OYO


The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has upheld the re-election of Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).


The governorship election was held on Saturday March 18 and the result was declared on Sunday March 19, 2023. Makinde polled a total of 563,617 votes to defeat his closest rival, Senator Teslim Folarin of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 251,230 votes. Chief Adebayo Adelabu of the Accord came a distant third, polling 38,757.

But Folarin and Adelabu did not file any petition against Makinde before the tribunal.

The tribunal in a unanimous ruling on Friday, read by Justice Ejiron Emudainohwo, and supported by Jutices Baraka Wali, and I.S. Galadima, dismissed the petition filed by the AA governorship candidate, Babatunde Ajala, and awarded a cost of N600,000 against him.

The tribunal awarded a cost of N100,000 in favour of INEC, and N250,000 each in favour of Governor Makinde and PDP. INEC had asked for a cost of N300,000, while counsel to Makinde asked for cost of N5million, and PDP also demanded a cost of N3million. But the petitioner’s counsel pleaded for forgiveness from senior legal counsel and the panel.

In the petition, INEC was the first responded, while Governor Seyi Makinde was the second respondent. The PDP was the third respondent. A legal luminary, Otunba Kunle Kalajaiye (SAN) held brief for Governor Makinde, while Mr. Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), was the counsel for PDP.

The lead counsel to Ajala, Mr. Etibo Orowo King, had withdrawn the case before the judgment was delivered, saying the petition was withdrawn in order not to disrupt the current peace in the state, saying: “It was not a judgment. It was a ruling on our application to withdraw our petition. We actually withdrew the petition in the interest of justice, peace and tranquility in Oyo State. This is why the panel dismissed our petition based on our application for withdrawal”

Kalejaiye had told the panel before the judgment was read that it should reflect in their judgment that the Electoral Act should be amended to have a threshold that any candidate that did not score a particular number of votes should not be eligible to raise a petition against the winner of the poll. But the panel asked him during the hearing if the request would not infringe on the fundamental human rights of the candidates. And Kalajaiye said he said that to push for the amendment of the Electoral Act. But in the unanimous ruling, the panel said the request would be sent to the National Assembly.

The PDP counsel also supported the move for the amendment of the Electoral Act to reflect a threshold for eligibility to file petitions before election tribunals.

Speaking with journalists after the judgment, Kalejaiye said: “It was the final end of the petition brought by Action Alliance against the emergence of Governor Seyi Makinde in the March 18 election. The petition was essentially to ask for rerun of the election on the basis that the candidate that was cleared for the election was not the candidate that was filled for the candidate of that election and the petition was filed, and we have responded to the petition, only for us to come this morning and find out that the party and the candidates claimed that they have looked at the petition again and they are not sure that they will succeed and they brought an application to withdraw the petition.

“We are convinced that it was when they saw our response to the petition that they made up their minds on the unavailability of the petition because we attached our petition on 18 grounds and that comminated into what happened today. The tribunal has dismissed the petition and has awarded cost against Action Alliance (AA).

“But there is one thing that is very clear which I made to the tribunal. Candidates, and political parties, who performed abysmally in an election should not be allowed to come to court to waste judicial time. Where a political party only scored 387 votes, and challenged a person, who scored 563, 617 votes in all the 33 local governments, is a waste of judicial time.

“The electoral act needs to be amended to create a threshold that if you have not scored at least a quarter, or 25 per cent of all the total vote cast in a state, you should not come to the election tribunal. Three judges have left their jurisdictions to come and sit for a petition that is dead on arrival. So, only serious petitioners will have access to court. This is a call for the amendment of Electoral Act.”

Source:
https://www.blueprint.ng/tribunal-upholds-makindes-re-election-in-oyo/

As E Dey Hot..
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TRIBUNAL DISMISSES AA, ITS CANDIDATE’S PETITION AGAINST GOV MAKINDE


The governorship election petition tribunal in Oyo state on Friday dismissed the petition of the Action Alliance (AA) and its gubernatorial candidate, Babatunde Samson Ajala, against Governor Seyi Makinde.

Earlier, at the tribunal sitting, the counsel to AA and its candidate; Barrister Etibo Orowo King, informed the tribunal that the party and its candidate had decided to discontinue the case.

King then urged the tribunal to strike out the case in the interest of the state, saying, “My prayer is for the cancellation of the result of the election, but on further re-evaluation, we decided to discontinue the case in the interest of peace and tranquility.”

The counsel to the governor, who is the second respondent in the petition, Otunba Kunle Kalejaye, in his pledge, urged the tribunal to dismiss the case, saying, “The petitioner said that the case should be struck out. We want the case to be dismissed. It is a petition that is dead on arrival.”

The tribunal led by Justice Ejiro Emudainohwu then dismissed the case and awarded the sum of N100, 000 in favour of first respondent (Independent National Electoral Commission), the sum of N250, 000 in favour of the second respondent (Governor Makinde) and the sum of N250, 000 in favour of the third respondent (Peoples Democratic Party).

Source:
https://www.blueprint.ng/tribunal-dismisses-aa-its-candidates-petition-against-gov-makinde/

Even though Makinde is in PDP, we Nigerians in general and Oyo state in particular, like him.

The decision of the tribunal is a reflection of the people's will.

Politics shouldn't be a do or die affair the way some miscreants and illiterates take it to be. If you are rejected, bloody get out of the stage with your useless story.

Nobody can Remove or Unseat Makinde............He is the Right Man for Oyo State. Seyi Makinde you are doing well. Kudos

Bobloco:

You sad.??

Why are you sad naa.??

LeoDeKing:
Even though Makinde is in PDP, we Nigerians in general and Oyo state in particular, like him.

The decision of the tribunal is a reflection of the people's will.

Politics shouldn't be a do or die affair the way some miscreants and illiterates take it to be. If you are rejected, bloody get out of the stage with your useless story.

A man that lost election in his State Lagos and Osun has been rejected even by his people

BluntCrazeMan:
You sad.??

Why are you sad naa.??

Is that the meaning of the emoji

I didn't know

I used it to book space

He won the election

Meanwhile, Lamidi Apapa is from Oyo state but could not pull any electoral weight for LP.

And he’s eyeing the national seat. Charity beings at home so says the maxim.

Lalasticlala, Seun, Nlfpmod

So quick?