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Lukman Olabiyi
The election petitions tribunal sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has adjourned for judgment in the petition against the victory of senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The tribunal adjourned for judgment after all the parties in the petition adopted their written addresses and prayed the panel to grant their various prayers.
After adjourning, the panel informed the parties that date to deliver judgment would be communicated to them later.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Tinubu winner of February 23 election in Lagos Central Senatorial District.
INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Oyeyemi Oyedola, in declaring Tinubu as the winner of the poll, said she got 131,735 votes to defeat her opponent, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, who scored 89,107 votes.
However, being dissatisfied with INEC’s declaration, Onitiri dragged the commission and the APC candidate before the tribunal, challenging the result of the election over alleged irregularities.
In his petition filed by the PDP candidate through his lawyer, Onome Akpeneye, alleged that the results declared by the INEC was marred by vote-buying, violence, over-voting, inducement of voters with monetary and material gains, campaigning and lobbying voters on the day of election.
Other irregularities he stated at the trial of the petition include non-accreditation and improper accreditation of voters by INEC officials, intimidation and arrest of his supporters, poll agents and instigation of electoral violence by the agents of APC.
But in her defence, Tinubu debunked all the allegations contained in the petition as tissues of lies and unfounded fabrications, claiming that she scored the highest lawful votes cast at the election and urged the tribunal to dismiss Onitiri’s petition with substantial costs.
