BY TIMOTHY AGBOR
The three-member Election Petitions Tribunal for the June 18 Ekiti governorship election on Tuesday commenced sitting in Ado Ekiti, the state capital as Social Democratic Party governorship candidate, Segun Oni, challenged the results of the election.
The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, flanked by the two other judges, Justices Sa’ad Zadawa and Jacob Atsen, cautioned against distractions and solicited the cooperation of all parties in the electoral dispute in the state for successful proceedings.
Oni got dissatisfied with the result of the election as the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Abiodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress winner.
The SDP governorship candidate had approached the tribunal for redress and urged the court to declare him the authentic winner, saying he scored the highest number of valid votes.
However, at the inaugural sitting, the panel granted two of Oni’s prayers.
Oni, who had complained that Oyebanji and some other defendants were evading service, had sought an order of the tribunal for substituted service, which the panel granted, saying granting the order was necessary for adjudication in the matter.
The tribunal, in its ruling on the second application, ordered INEC to give Oni unfettered access to the materials used for the election for inspection “to prosecute their matter”.
The SDP candidate, Oni, was represented by a team of lawyers including Biodun Fasakin, Owoseni Ajayi and Marakinyo Ogele.
