By Lola Ojo
The Oyo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, has dismissed the petition of Action Alliance (AA) against Gov. Seyi Makinde, who is the second respondent in the petition and awarded a cost of N600,000 against the petitioner.
Other respondents in the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the first respondent and People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) as third respondent.
The Action Alliance filed a petition before the Oyo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal against the emergence of Gov. Seyi Makinde .
The petition was calling for a re-run of the March 18 governorship election in the state on the basis that the candidate that was cleared for AA in the election was not the same that was field by the party.
The three-man panel tribunal under the Chairmanship of Hon. Justice Ejiro Emudainohwo, had Justice Baraka.I. Wali and Justice I. S . Galadima, as members.
Emudainohwo, in her ruling dismissed the petition and awarded a cost of N100, 000 to first respondent, N250, 000 to second respondent and N250, 000 to third respondent.
The tribunal chairman cautioned Counsel to the petitioner, Mr King Etiborowo to be careful in his choice of words when next he wants to withdraw any application.
“I can’t just concede to the fact that your petition is not sustainable, having reviewed the ground upon which it was brought
“You should find a way of saving the ego of your client,”she said.
Responding, Etiborowo, while moving the motion to discontinue the case, tendered his apology to the tribunal and senior Counsels.
He said, “on behalf of the party, AA, we wish to withdraw our case in the interest of Justice, peace and tranquility in Oyo State.
“We reviewed and concluded that our best interest is to withdraw the application.”
Counsel to the PDP, Mr Kunle Kalejaye, called for amendment of the electoral law.
Kalejaye said, “the electoral Act ought to be amended to create a threshold that if a petitioner does not have up to a quarter of the total vote, you should not come to the election tribunal.
“A threshold should be created, if you have not won certain amount of votes which constitute 25 per cent of the total number of votes in the whole state, you should not come to the tribunal.
“If not, unserious petition like this will abound. Imagine, three judges left their jurisdiction, sit on a petition that is dead on arrival.
“It is high time we look at the provision of our electoral law, so that only serious petitioner will have access to the court.
“Here is a political party that out of all 33 Local Government in Oyo state, scored only 387 votes, challenging a person who scored 563,369, and that is PDP.”
The Action Alliance garnered total votes of 387 in the last Governorship Election, while People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won with total votes of 563, 369 to be declared the winner
