The Election Tribunal sitting in Ogun State has nullified the election of Buruji Kashamu.
The tribunal also set aside the elections of a member of the House of Representatives and five other House of Assembly members on the platform of the PDP.
The tribunal made the decision on Friday in Abeokuta and ordered a rerun in 110 polling units, where irregularities were established.
The Tribunal had earlier cancelled the election of Buruji’s party colleague in the House of Representatives, Aremo Adesegun Adekoya Abdel-Majid, who represented Buruji’s Ijebu North local council and two other councils. His was a follow up to the perceived irregularities surrounding elections in the constituencies.
Prince Dapo Abiodun, the All Progressives Congress,APC Ogun East Senatorial candidate in the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly Election challenged Kashamu’s victory at the tribunal, claiming that Kashamu was not validly elected. Though, Abiodun wanted the tribunal to declare him the winner of the Ogun East Senate seat, but the judge ruled otherwise.
While delivering the judgment this afternoon, Justice Tobi Ebimowei said that there were some irregularities,some anomalies, adding that, some of them have been proven while some were not proven.
“We have to cancel in other local government because they were many anomalies and irregularities in local government such as Ijebu North,Ijebu East,Sagamu,Ikenne and Odogbolu,”the judge posited.
He however stated that having perused all the evidences before the tribunal,37,008 votes was declared unlawful on grounds of proven irregularities.
Ebimowei also said the total valid and lawful votes for the first respondent after the deduction and adjustment is now 75,856 compared to 99,540 declared by INEC.
The tribunal, while delivering judgement on the state House of Assembly election on April 11, ordered the conduct of fresh polls in Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu East, Ipokia, Ijebu North 1 and Egbado North 2 state constituencies.
It aalso ordered rerun in 14 polling units in Wards 6 and 7 in Ijebu Ode constituency where a former Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, Tola Banjo, challenged the election of Wale Alausa.
For the Ijebu East House of Assembly election won by PDP’s Adejunwon Oyenuga, the tribunal ordered the conduct of fresh elections in seven units where allegations of irregularities were proved.
APC candidate, Bola Badejo, had petitioned the tribunal praying the nullification of Oyenuga’s election and his declaration as the winner.
The tribunal submitted that having analysed the petition, it observed irregularities in some areas and therefore nullified the results in the affected units.
It also ordered a rerun in those polling units.
Also delivering its verdict on the state Assembly election in Ipokia constituency, the tribunal annulled elections in 38 units, and ordered fresh election in them.
The petitioner, Sewanu Towakennu-Olatunde of the APC, had challenged INEC’s declaration of Adebowale Ojo of the PDP as the winner of the poll.
The tribunal noted that the irregularities observed in 38 polling units were enough to discredit the results of the entire election and therefore ordered a fresh election in the affected areas within 90 days.
In the petition filed over the election into the Ijebu North 1 constituency, the decision of the tribunal was split with the majority verdict annulling part of the election.
The tribunal ordered a rerun in 67 polling units where irregularities were proved to have occurred during the polls.
The petitioner, Adebayo Adebola of the APC, had dragged Oluyinka Bowale of the PDP before the tribunal.
The tribunal dismissed the petition brought by the APC candidate from Ijebu North East, Abayomi Fasua, against the victory of Olujimi Otukoya of the PDP and upheld Otukoya’s election.
The tribunal chairman said, “It is our view that for any petition to succeed for non-compliance, it must not be on the document but the lead.
“The law is settled on this case and we are of the view that there is no link between the document and the evidence of the witnesses.
“The petition is hereby dismissed and the return of the winner is upheld.”
Oduntan Razak of PDP from Egbado North II also had to wait for a rerun election in 10 units as his election was also set aside.
His election was challenged by Falola Ayinde of the APC.
Mrs. Akintayo Julianah of PDP from Yewa South survived two onslaughts from both APC and Unity Party of Nigeria as her election was upheld.
Also, Samuel Solarin of Sagamu II and Jemili Akingbade of Imeko state constituencies, all of PDP, have their elections upheld as petitions against them were thrown out for lack of merit.
