Ogun guber petition: Abiodun, Akinlade know fate Saturday

The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta has fixed Saturday for judgement in the election petition challenging the victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun in the March 9 gubernatorial election in the state.

The petition was filed by Hon. Abdulkabir Akinlade and his party, the Allied People’s Movement (APM), asking the Tribunal to upturn the victory of Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Counsel to one of the parties, told The Nation that the three -member panel led by Justice Yusuf Halilu has fixed Saturday, September 14, 2019 as the day for delivering its judgment on the petition.

Also, the Tribunal Secretary, Nyior Henry Sekulla, told reporters in a telephone inquiry that the three man panel had fixed the ruling for Saturday.

“The judgement has been fixed for Saturday, September 14. And we have sent formal notification to all parties including calls and text messages,” the Secretary said.

Akinlade and his party filed the petition marked EPT /OG/ GOV/ 01/19, alleging that over-voting was carried out during the polls in favour of Abiodun.

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The APM’s candidate also alleged that Abiodun lacked the qualification to contest for the Governorship seat of the Gateway State in the March 9 governorship election.

The Tribunal had in its August 19 sitting, reserved its judgment shortly after all parties had adopted their respective final written addresses and promised to notify them when the judgment would be ready.

And while adopting his final written address, the petitioner – Akinlade, through his lead counsel, Mike Osuman, SAN, asked the court to disqualify Abiodun as a candidate of APC in the last Governorship election and nullify the declaration of Abiodun as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Petitioner also prayed the Tribunal to return him (Akinlade) as the governor.

But Abiodun’s lead counsel, Prof Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, described the APM’s petition as one that lacks merit and dead on arrival, urging that it should be dismissed in its entirety.