The Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, yesterday, affirmed Governor Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner of the governorship election held in the state on June 21; as conducted by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, last June.
The three-man panel which conducted its proceeding in Abuja, dismissed the petition filed against Fayose by the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The panel held that the witnesses paraded by the petitioner were unable to adduce concrete evidence to support the claims of corrupt practices at the polling units and that their testimonies did not support such claims that the election did not comply substantially with the provisions of the Electoral Acts.
“The testimonies of these witnesses are unsatisfactory and their inability to give the names of the polling units as well as the names of their agents at those unnamed polling units shows that most of them that gave evidence of these alleged non compliance did not vote at the election as such their testimonies failed to support their claims, none of them gave evidence on the improper accreditation or manipulation of accreditation. The petitioner failed to substantiate the allegation of improper accreditation or non accreditation of voters ”
The panel also held that failure of the petitioner to produce witnesses from majority of the polling units to substantiate the allegation of improper and or non accreditation of voters at the polling units had damaged the substance of the petition. Similarly it rejects the claim of the APC that the election was systematically and scientifically conducted by the use of indelible photo chronic and vanishing inks that fades within minutes in such a way to favour the emergence of the PDP candidate at the election.
The panel also held that as at the time Fayose declared his interest to contest the Ekiti state Governorship election, the All Progressives Congress, APC, was aware of his alleged disqualification, with the issue being canvassed before an Ekiti state high court before the election.
The Tribunal said it has no power to entertain the issue and thereafter struck out that ground of the APC’s petition.
Similarly, the panel held that section 19 and 20 of the Electoral Act provides for the display of the voters register 30 days to the election and noted that a diligent political party ought to have complained against any failure by the electoral umpire to comply with that provision.
The Tribunal said the contravention of code of conduct and Fayose’s non-qualification to stand for election fall within pre election issues, and subsequently struck out that ground of the petition in favour of the PDP and Fayose.
