Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Monday, dismissed two petitions filed by two political parties, Action People’s Party (APP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) against the re-election of Dapo Abiodun during the March 18 governorship election.
The APP had filed its petition challenging the return of Abiodun as the governor-elect in the Ogun state at the polls.
But the party at the tribunal sitting withdrew the petition, saying “upon the re-evaluation of the grounds and facts of the petition, the petitioner is not reasonably convinced about the sustainability of the grounds of the Petition as presently constituted before this honourable Tribunal.”
APP further declared that the withdrawal of the Petition was based on the fact that upon a further evaluation of the petition, the party had found that the respondent won the highest number of lawful votes as duly recognised by INEC and permitted by law.
Also announcing his party’s withdrawal of its petition, the NNPP Chairman in Ogun state, Sunday Oginni, disclosed that the party, which filed a petition against Abiodun before the Tribunal over the alleged omission of the party’s logo on the ballot papers for the governorship election by INEC was ready to withdraw.
“The New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ogun State chapter under the leadership of Comrade Olaposi Oginni Sunday, hereby, step out of court and withdraw the suit with petition number: EPT/OG/GOV/01/2023.
“We came to realise that on that same date (March 18) despite the fact that the INEC did not comply with an electoral act that stipulated that the name and logo must be on the ballots. The electorate still managed to vote for some of NNPP’s candidates and some of our candidates won in some places. For example, in Kano State, the governorship candidate of our party and candidates of NNPP for the House of Assembly and Reps were declared winners,” Oginni stated.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, Hamidu Kunaza, however, upheld the applications of the two parties and dismissed the petitions accordingly.