The Ekiti State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital has granted the motion exparte of the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the June 18 poll, Chief Segun Oni, for substituted service on the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji.
Also, the tribunal during its inaugural sitting, on Tuesday, granted the request of the SDP candidate to inspect all materials used for the election at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Oni had last week alleged that Oyebanji( First respondent) his deputy, Mrs Monisade Afuye(fifth respondent) and the former caretaker chairman of the APC and governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni(Third respondent), were deliberately evading service for the commencement of the tribunal proceedings.
The chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Wilfred Kpochi in his ruling on the two exparte motions said the grounds were the pillars that support the applicant’s petition to continue his petitions at the tribunal.
The tribunal granted the prayers of the SDP candidate, in the motion ex-parte, filled through Obafemi Adewale SAN on behalf of his legal team, “an order of leave to effect the service of the petitioner and other processes in the proceedings on the 1st, 3rd and 5th respondents by substituted means, through the national secretary or any other officer of the All Progressives Congress, APC at No. 40, Blantyre Crescent Wuse 2, Abuja FCT.”
Also, the tribunal granted, “an order permitting the applicant or its agents for the purpose of prosecuting its petition to take certified true copies and conduct manual/physical inspection of all electoral materials used in the conduct of the governorship election into the office of the governorship of Ekiti State held on June 18, 2022, in all the 16 LGAs of Ekiti State.”
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According to him, they find merit in the motion ex-parte and ordered INEC to give unhindered access to the petitioner to inspect the electoral materials which include Bimodal Voters Accreditation System(BVAS) all ballot papers, voters registered among others.
Justice Kpochi who assured stakeholders that the panel would be fair to all parties solicited their cooperation for successful proceedings in the state.
Oni had on July 7, 2022, filed his petition before the Tribunal in Ado Ekiti, calling for the reversal of the declaration of Oyebanji as the winner of the election.
The former governor also urged the court to declare him the winner of the poll, claiming that he scored the highest number of lawful votes in the poll. The petitioner urged the Tribunal to in the alternative nullify the election and order a rerun in view of alleged widespread manipulations that characterised the poll.
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Ekiti poll: Tribunal grants Oni’s request for substituted service, inspection of election materials
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