The Justice Mojeed Oladimeji Ishola five-man election petition tribunal on the May 22, 2021 Local Government Council Elections in Oyo State, on Friday, upheld the Ibarapa East Local Government Council election results declared by the state Independent Electoral Commission.
The chairmanship candidate of LP in the council, Masolanu Adeola, had alleged that there were no elections known to law in the council on Saturday, May 22.
According to the party, the exercise was characterised by violence. It also alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Gbenga Obalowo, who was declared winner by the Chief Returning Officer, OYSIEC, Isiaka Olagunju, SAN, failed to get the majority votes.
In the judgment delivered on Friday in Ibadan, the court ruled in favour of the respondents and nullified the petitions on the ground of inconsistency and non-availability of strong proofs to cancel the election.
Counsel to OYSIEC, Tunji Ogunrinde, said that Labour party failed to provide duplicates of the results sheet to authenticate the allegation that results of election declared by OYSIEC were not correct.
Ogunrinde added that the party also failed to present the required numbers of witnesses before the Tribunal, while evidences of witnesses who attested for the petitioner were contradictory.
He said, “Minimum of 140 witnesses were expected to attest to claims of Labour party but about 14 were called. Some witnesses affirmed that the election, which started at 9:45am and ended at 4pm, were not known to law.
“Also, there is no prove of violence by witnesses which could call for fresh election as contained in the petition .Election was only disrupted in ward 5 , out of ten wards , which was cancelled by OYSIEC.
“All these were put into consideration by the court and concluded that their reliefs were not grantable because the petition lacked merit.”
