Tribunal affirms Oyo south senator’s election

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has upheld the election of Senator Sharafadeen Alli of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The three-man tribunal headed by Justice A. M. Yakubu, dismissed the petition filed by Chief Joseph Tegbe, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who challenged the February 25, 2023, victory of Alli. The court ordered Tegbe to pay the sum of N500,000 each to the three respondents, Alli, APC, and INEC. 

Alli, in the election held in over 2,400 polling units in the nine local government areas of the senatorial district, scored 111,513 votes against Tegbe’s 92,481 votes.

Tegbe, who is the first petitioner in the petition marked: EPT/OY/SEN/04/2023, had asked the tribunal to order a rerun of the election, alleging that Alli failed to garner the majority of lawful votes in the election, which constituted non-compliance with the provisions of the electoral laws.

However, in its judgment, the tribunal held that the signatures of the majority of the witnesses, who introduced themselves as PDP polling agents during the election, did not match the documents signed at their respective polling units and the ones on their statements under oath. 

According to the panel, one of the witnesses, when cross-examined, said he did not make the statement on oath ascribed to him and that the signature on it was not his own. 

The panel also stated that the witnesses did not provide any means of identification, such as identity cards, that would show they worked as PDP polling agents on the day of the election. 

It added that the statements on oath for some of the petitioners’ witnesses, said they were female, whereas men made appearances before the special court.

“The petitioners have failed to present cogent, reliable, and compelling evidence sufficient to affect the results of the poll as declared by INEC,” the tribunal declared. 

Reacting to the judgment, Alli described it as a reaffirmation that his electoral victory in the February 25 election was well-deserved.

In a statement by Akeem Abas, Special Adviser on Media to the senator, Alli expressed appreciation to God as well as the people of Oyo South Senatorial District, who gave him their mandate and stood by him throughout the process. 

According to him, “I am deeply humbled and grateful to God for the victory at the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal. My sincere appreciation to the people of Oyo South Senatorial District who gave me their mandate and have stood by me throughout this process. 

“The outcome of the tribunal’s verdict reaffirms that the election was won in a transparent and fair manner, and my victory was well-deserved.”