The Oyo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Friday dismissed petitions against the election of three members of the House of Representatives from the state.
Members of the three-man Tribunal are Justice Denis Igyse (Chairman), Justice Sikiru Owodunni and Justice Frank Onyiri.
All three petitions were dismissed on grounds that issues raised by the petitioners were pre-election matters.
In the first judgment, Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Igyse dismissed the petition filled by Shittu Fowowe of the People’s Providence Congress (PPC), for Atisbo/Saki West/Saki East Federal Constituency, Olajide Olatunbosun of All Progressives Comgress (APC), who was declared winner of the election.
The Tribunal held that the issues brought before it for determination were all pre-election matters and therefore lacked merit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the petitioner had joined INEC as co-defendant in the suit, challenging PPC’s alleged unlawful exclusion from participating in the election.
In the second judgment read by Justice Sikiru Owodunni, the Tribunal also dismissed the petition No: EPT/OY/HR/02/2019, brought by Adeboye Isaac of the PPC against Olajide Stanley of the PDP.
Owodunni had challenged the declaration of Stanley as the lawful winner of the Ibadan South West/North West Federal Constituency election.
The Tribunal dismissed Isaac’s petition on the same ground of being a pre-election matter.
Justice Frank Onyiri who read the third judgement, also dismissed it for the same reason.
The petitioner, Durodola Adelani of the PPC, in suit No. EPT/OY/HR/06/2019, challenged the victory of Shina Peller of the APC in the election for Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency.
The sum of N20,000 was awarded as cost against each of the petitioners, in favour of the respondents.