The Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Akure, on Wednesday, dismissed four Petitions filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidates challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress lawmakers in the April 11, 2015 House of Assembly election on technical grounds.
In the same vein, the three-man tribunal also nullified two petitions of the two APC candidates challenging the declaration of two PDP state lawmakers as the winners of the election on similar grounds.
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The Justice Anthony Ogar-led tribunal specifically struck out the petitions due to the late submission of the applications by the petitioners, and there was no hearing of the cases.
The three-member tribunal threw out a petition filed by Mr. Adeyinka Banso of the PDP against the election of an APC lawmaker, Mr. Sule Maito, representing Akoko North-West constituency 1
Similarly, the court invalidated a petition by Kunle Olujuyigbe of the PDP against Akure-South constituency II lawmaker, Olajide Sunday, of the APC, and a petitioned filed by Adeniyi Olugbemiga of the PDP against APC lawmaker, Kazeem Sulaiman from Akoko South-West 1, was also stuck out.
The lawmaker representing Owo state constituency II, Mukaila Ayinde, of the APC won at the tribunal as the court dismissed the petition filed by his opponent, Abayomi Ode of the PDP.
However, the APC candidate in the Assembly election, Festus Aregbesola, lost his petition against the victory of the PDP lawmaker for Akure-South constituency II, Kemisola Adesanya, while Gbenga Edema of the APC lost his case against Mr. Coker Malakai of the PDP for Ilaje constituency II on technical ground.
In his reaction to the judgment, the APC counsel, Mr. Titiloye Charles, said petitioners would challenge the two rulings against them at the appellate court. He faulted the court for not hearing the matter at all, saying the late submission of the petitions should not stop the tribunal from hearing the cases.
But the counsel for the PDP, Mr. Remi Olatubora, said the judgments were in order, despite losing four of their petitions.
Meanwhile, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Banji Okunomo, while reacting to the tribunal’s verdicts in which his party lost four and won two petitioners said it showed that the election was free and fair.
He, however, alleged that one of the APC petitioners, Edema, was attempting to use policemen to arrest Coker, the winner of the case.
He said, “We maintained that he did not commit any crime and the election issue from which he raised a petition that was duly struck out does not constitute a crime. Therefore, we call on the Inspector-General of Police to protect the integrity and impartiality of the force by not allowing his men to be used to settle political scores.”
Edema, who spoke on telephone, denied the allegation. He said he did not know why the police were looking for the lawmaker.
He explained, “I don’t have control over the police; he should ask the police why they were after him. I don’t know where the order came from. What I have against him is civil and not criminal and since the case has been dismissed, the only option I have is to appeal at the Appeal Court.
“If he has a case with the police, the onus does not lie on me to know why the police are looking for him, so my name should not come into this.”
Source: Punchng
