The Social Democratic Party’s candidate in the 20 June Ekiti governorship election, Isaac Adedayo Alade, has withdrawn his petition challenging Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s victory. At Monday’s sitting of the Election Petition Tribunal in Ado-Ekiti, Mr Alade’s counsel, Umar Abdulhamid, said a motion had been filed notifying the tribunal of his client’s decision to discontinue the case.
The development came as a surprise to the SDP’s counsel, Adewole Adebayo, who said the withdrawal was an “ambush” but would not oppose it. The tribunal, chaired by Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi, granted the application and struck Mr Alade’s name from the petition. Mr Adebayo, who is also the SDP presidential candidate, said the party would continue with the case despite the candidate’s withdrawal.
There was further drama during proceedings when an SDP witness, Toluwalope Oluwandabira, reportedly struggled to identify the name of the party’s governorship candidate when questioned. Other witnesses gave evidence on alleged vote-buying, disturbances and conduct of the election, although some acknowledged that the incidents did not prevent voting from taking place successfully.
The tribunal also heard from witnesses in a petition filed by the Action Alliance. Governor Oyebanji’s counsel, Adetunji Oso, urged the tribunal to ensure that proceedings were not delayed, stressing that election petitions require expeditious handling. He also rejected suggestions that petitioners were being forced to withdraw their cases, saying the governor had no interest in interfering with the tribunal’s work.
