There was jubilation at the premises of the election petitions tribunal in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Wednesday, as the tribunal upheld the election of the senator representing Ekiti Central district, Senator Fatimat Raji-Rasaki.
The tribunal also dismissed petitions against two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, which were filed by their opponents in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The victory of Mrs. Raji Rasaki, who was the candidate of the PDP in the election, was challenged by the candidate of the APC, Mr. Gbenga Olofin, who claimed that the election was flawed and did not comply with the Electoral Act.
Olofin had asked the tribunal to order another election or declare him the winner of the election.
But the three-man panel, in a judgement read by Justice P.A. Obayi, dismissed the petition, saying it was lacking in merit.
In an earlier judgment, the panel had dismissed a petition by Mr. Olutunde Lawal of the People for Democratic Change (PDC), which claimed that he was excluded from the election.
The PDC had in its petition wanted the tribunal, among others, to declare that it be determined that Lawal was excluded from the election and that the election in question should be annulled while a fresh poll should be ordered by the court.
Justice Obayi, who also read the judgment, held that the main issue of contention in the petition was whether or not the petitioner was wrongfully or illegally excluded from participating in the election.
The court said the evidence before it from the third respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), showed that the PDC did not properly nominate its candidate for the Ekiti Central district for the April election as it failed to submit form CF002 which contained the list of candidates submitted by political parties, as well as the signatures of the party’s chairman and secretary.
The court held that the failure of the PDC to submit the said form had led to his not being recognised as a candidate in the election.
Justice Obayi therefore dismissed Lawal’s and PDC’s petition, saying it was not meritorious
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