The Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure, on Tuesday upheld Governor Rotimi Akeredolu victory in the october 10, 2020 governorship election.
A Three-man panel led by Justice Umar Abubakar of dismissed the petition filed by Eyitayo Jegede , who contested under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to uphold the election of Akeredolu, who contested under the platform of the All Progressive Congress(APC), as the Governor of Ondo State.
According to the Judges, the Tribunal has no jurisdiction on the issues raised by Jegede:
“Issue raised therein in this petition are settled issue of internal affairs and management of a political party(on) which this Tribunal has no jurisdiction”
The judgement was delivered on Zoom due to the ongoing nationwide strike of the members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
Reacting to the judgement, Akeredolu commended the tribunal for proving that the Judiciary is indeed the last hope for the common man.
Akeredolu who was addressing journalists at the Government House, Akure, Ondo State, described the ruling as a reflection of the choices of the people in the state. He also appreciated his party members for their support during the court proceedings.
Jegede had filed a suit challenging the victory of Akeredolu at the 2020 Governorship election of Ondo State.
Jegede through his lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, had argued that Akeredolu was not eligible to contest for the Governorship election of the state on the grounds that he was not validly nominated by the APC.
Jegede also argued that Akeredolu won the election through violence and other electoral malpractices.
Akeredolu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling a total of 292,830 votes against Jegede’s 195,791 votes
