Ogun Tribunal receives 19 petitions against elections of Gov. Abiodun, lawmakers

The Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal says it has received 19 petitions from various candidates and political parties challenging the outcome of some of the elections in the state.

The Secretary of the tribunal, Ezenta Obioma, disclosed this on Friday in Abeokuta, the state capital.

Obioma said two of the petitions were received from the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oladipupo Adebutu, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, challenging the victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress at the March 18 governorship election.

The tribunal scribe also revealed that 17 House of Assembly candidates from various state constituencies filed petitions challenging the results of the House of Assembly elections.

According to him, 16 out of the petitions were filed by the Assembly candidates of the PDP while the remaining one was filed by a candidate of the APC.

PDP and NNPP had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC and Gov Abiodun before the tribunal in their separate petitions.

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Adebutu and the PDP in their petition are seeking an order of the court declaring him as the winner of the election.

The PDP and its candidate prayed the court to order INEC to conduct a fresh election in 99 polling units and 41 wards which cut across 16 Local government areas of the state where elections were either not held and/or cancelled due to disruption and over-voting.

On their own part, the NNPP in its petition is challenging the alleged omission of its name on the ballot papers for the governorship election by INEC.

NNPP in an affidavit deposed by its state Chairman, Oginni Olaposi, insisted that the party filed the petition because it was dissatisfied with the outcome of the election.

Obioma said there was no definite date for hearing, as the parties were still exchanging processes.

“We are still at the filing stage, so I cannot tell you precisely when the tribunal is going to commence sitting,” he said.