Ekiti guber: "Declare me as winner," PDP candidate, Prof Olusola tells tribunal

...Tribunal adjourns, to notify parties 48 hrs before judgment

The Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday in Abuja adjourned for judgment, even as the PDP candidate, Prof Kolapo Olusola urged the tribunal to grant the prayers as contained in the petition by declaring the him the winner of election conducted on July 14, 2018.

Today, the tribunal, led by Justice Suleiman Belgore, adjourned indefinitely but told parties they would be informed 48 hours before the day to be set for the delivery of the judgment.

Justice Belgore announced the adjournment on Wednesday after parties adopted their final written addresses and prayed the tribunal to grant their prayers.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Ekiti State, Professor Kolapo Olusola are challenging the outcome of the election won by the candidate of the All Progressives. Congress (APC), Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Listed as petitioners in the petition marked: EPT/EKS/GOV/01/18 are PDP and Olusola, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC and Fayemi are listed as respondents.

While adopting his written address today, the Petitioners lead Counsel, Yusuf Ali argued that the Respondent's went on voyage and labour in vain having missed the nucleus/points raised by the petitioners from the onset by later filling motion to strike out part of the responses to the petition.

More so that the competent Electoral official were not called showing admission in an attempt to shield some of the  the criminals allegations mentioned in the petition.

The APC represented by Akin Olujimi (SAN) had adopted its motion to strike out the petition, especially where  criminal allegations were made without joining the personnel for lack of fair hearing and that the allegations were general,vague and needless.

He identified other processes filed, issues formulated at the pre-hearing sessions, adopt the written addresses and thereafter adumbrated upon the motion.

The Petitioners however said that the Respondents agreed completely that paragraph 19 of the petition was apt and that the election was marred with irregularities, election not conducted in some polling units and the petitioners would have won if all precautions were taken into consideration.

The petitioners also said that INEC, which is the 1st Respondent had the major onus to prove  that the election was conducted in whatever manner, and that INEC admitted and corroborate the petitioners' position during cross-examination.

He urged the Tribunal to jettison the objections by the Respondents to strike out the petition, grant the prayers as contained in the petition by declaring the petitioners the winner of election conducted.