The Oyo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, has dismissed petitions against the election of three members of the House of Representatives from the state.
The three-man tribunal, on Friday dismissed all three petitions on grounds that the issues raised by the petitioners were pre-election matters.
In the first judgment, the tribunal Chairman Justice Denis Igyse, upheld the election of Olajide Olatunbosun of All Progressives Comgress (APC) for Atisbo/Saki West/Saki East Federal Constituency, after he dismissed the petition of Shittu Fowowe of the People’s Providence Congress (PPC) party.
The tribunal held that the issues brought before it for determination were all pre- election matters and therefore lacked merit.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that the petitioners had joined INEC as co-defendants in the suit, challenging PPC’s alleged unlawful exclusion from participating in the election.
In the second judgment, read by one of its members, Justice Sikiru Owodunni, the tribunal also dismissed the petition No: EPT /OY/ HR/02/2019 brought by Adeboye Isaac of the PPC against Olajide Stanley of the PDP.
Owodunni had challenged the declaration of Stanley as the lawful winner of the Ibadan South West/North West Federal Constituency election.
The tribunal dismissed Isaac’s petition on the same ground of being a pre- election matter.
The third petition, which judgment was delivered by the tribunal’s third member, Justice Frank Onyiri, was also dismissed for the same reason.
The petitioner, Durodola Adelani PPC, in suit No : EPT/OY/HR/06/2019, challenged the victory of Shina Peller of the APC in the election for Iseyin / Itesiwaju / Kajola /Iwajowa Federal Constituency.
The tribunal awarded N20,000 cost against the petitioners in favour of the respondent in each of the three cases.
