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From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital has fixed Friday, 23rd April, 2021 to deliver judgment on the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Eyitayo Jegede, seeking to upturn the victory of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu at the October 10, 2020 poll.
The three man panel led by Justice Umar Abubakar announced this through a notice to all parties in the case.
The parties had on 25th February, 2021 adopted their written addresses before the Tribunal.
Jegede had in the petition filed before the Tribunal challenged the outcome of the last gubernatorial election in the state.
The petitioner who faulted Akeredolu’s participation at the poll, alleged that he and his deputy, Lucky Ayedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were not validly nominated by their party.
Meanwhile, the defence counsels had pleaded with the tribunal to dismiss Jegede on several grounds.
According to the counsel to Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa, Akin Olujimi and that of the APC, Lateef Fagbemi, the petitioner had admitted in paragraph 12 of his petition the sponsorship of third and first respondents but failed to prove that they were not validly nominated.
The counsels described the petitioner’s move like that of the inconsistency of pleading which they said is forbidden by the law.
They subsequently prayed the court to dismiss the petition for not being properly instituted, adding that the Tribunal also lacks the jurisdiction to interpret section 183 of the constitution as prayed for by the petitioner.
The Umar Abubakar led tribunal has therefore fixed April 23 for ruling.
