EKITI GOVERNORSHIP TRIBUNAL UPHOLDS FAYEMI’S ELECTION

The Tribunal, in its ruling declared  that the allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Governorship candidate, Prof Olusola Kolapo, alleging that the All Progressives Congress(APC) manipulated the result, was not substantiated by the evidence before the court.

Penpushing also recalled that, the tribunal  had earlier commenced sitting at at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, but under the fear of violence  later moved its sitting to Abuja last year  to complete the hearing.

The judge while delivering the  judgment that lasted almost five hours, noted  various reasons for believing that the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) failed woefully in proving its case of alleged electoral fraud.

Penpushing further reports that, the tribunal said, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed it had over 900 witnesses in its petition, but ended up presenting only 71 of them, and also ruled that it was very wrong for the party to expect that the testimonies of only 71 witnesses would serve to prove allegations of electoral fraud in over 1,300 poling unites.

“The petitioners had noted in their petition that they had over 900 witnesses but ended up calling only 71. The petitioners failed to prove that the third respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes and we so declare,” the tribunal ruled.