Election Tribunal Dismisses Ex-Governor Ajimobi’s Suit

The immediate past governor of Oyo State Senator Abiola Ajimobi again lost his bid to be a member of ninth National Assembly.

The National and House of Assembly Tribunal sitting in Ibadan dismissed a petition filed by the Oyo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress against the victory of Senator Kola Balogun of People’s Democratic Party in the February 23, Oyo South Senatorial election.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, based its petition on mal-function of  card reader, poor accreditation process, violence at the election and qualification of the winner of the election.

Reading the two hours forty minutes judgement, the Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Anthony Akpovi, said the petitioner failed to prove their allegation against the respondents as many of their witnesses  were not competent to testify as their testimonies were just hearsay.

According to Justice Akpovi, Senator Kola Balogun would still have won  the election by one thousand seven hundred and forty three votes even if 11, 759 voters were allowed to vote the 363 poling unit where  the petitioner were claiming irregularity when compare to the one hundred and five thousand seven hundred and twenty votes he got to 13, 218 votes, Senator Ajimobi got in the election

Justice Amphibious said malfunction of card reader was not enough to invalidate an election.

On the issue of qualification, the tribunal ruled that the petitioner lacked locus standi to raise that, saying the issue of party primary the petitioner put forward was an internal issue to the party.

He therefore dismissed the application and awarded the damage cost of one hundred and  fifty thousand naira against APC in Oyo State.

Our Judiciary correspondent also reports that the Tribunal also dismissed  an application filed by Mulikat Adeola Akande of People’s Democratic Party against Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District Fatai Buhari of All progressive Congress.

Sunday Ogunyemi