Ekiti tribunal fixes November 20 for final addresses as Oyebanji closes defence

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has fixed November 20 for the adoption of final written addresses in petitions challenging Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s re-election, following the closure of the governor’s defence.

Oyebanji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and second respondent in petitions filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Action Alliance (AA), closed his case on Tuesday without calling witnesses.

Instead, his lead counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), tendered certified electoral documents from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including Forms EC8D and EC8E, which contain the state-level collation summary and official governorship election results.

The three-member tribunal admitted the documents as exhibits in both petitions without objection from counsel representing INEC and the petitioners. Ikpeazu said the decision to close the defence followed a review of the petitioners’ evidence and the testimonies of their witnesses under cross-examination.

INEC had also tendered certified copies of electoral documents before closing its cases in both petitions. Its lawyers said they were satisfied with the evidence presented and the outcome of cross-examination.

Following the closure of the cases, the tribunal chairman, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, directed the parties to file and exchange their final written addresses within the time prescribed by law. He subsequently adjourned the proceedings until November 20 for the adoption of the addresses.

Oyebanji won the June 20 governorship election with 319,224 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Wole Oluyede, who polled 40,543 votes. The SDP and AA subsequently challenged the election outcome before the tribunal.

However, Oluyede later withdrew his petition challenging Oyebanji’s re-election, leaving the SDP and AA petitions to proceed. The tribunal’s next sitting will focus on the adoption of final addresses before it determines the outstanding challenges to the governor’s re-election.