Eko Hot Blog reports that Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal has fixed Saturday, September 30, for judgment in the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladi Adebutu, challenging the victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The tribunal Secretary, Mrs Ezenta Obioma, confirmed this to journalists in Abeokuta yesterday. Ezenta disclosed that the three-man tribunal, headed by Justice Hamidu Kunaza, would begin delivering judgment on the petition by 9 a.m.
PDP and its governorship candidate, Adebutu, had dragged Abiodun, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the tribunal sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
PDP and Adebutu challenged the victory of Abiodun at the March 18 Governorship election in the state after INEC declared Abiodun winner, having polled 276,298 votes, while Adebutu scored 262,38 and Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) garnered 9, 4754 votes. Adebutu, in the petition, is seeking an order of the court declaring him as the winner of the election.
The petitioners also prayed the court to order INEC to conduct fresh election in 99 polling units in 41 wards, which cut across 16 councils of the state, where elections were either not held and/or cancelled due to disruption and over-voting.
The petitioners closed their case after three weeks of intense contention and calling a total of 94 witnesses. The petitioners also tendered over 200,000 documents before the tribunal to prove their case.
Abiodun, who is the second respondent, also closed its defence after calling a total of six witnesses, including two subpoenaed witnesses: an official of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), a staff of Zenith Bank, voters and party agents. Abiodun also tendered hundreds of documents as evidence to prove his case.
MEANWHILE, Ogun APC, PDP have expressed hope of victory at the tribunal. State Chairman of PDP, Sikirulai Ogundele, told The Guardian that PDP and its candidate, Adebutu, were in high spirit and also confident that the judgment would favour them.
He said: “All evidences have been presented and examined by the judges, and we are very sure of taking over the state from Govenor Abiodun and the ruling APC.”
The state’s Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, said: “We are feeling very hopeful, having known we worked and earned the victory with the support of God and the good people of Ogun State, who voted for continuity.” he said.
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