The Ogun State governorship election petition tribunal has on Saturday, 30th of September, 2023, affirmed the election of Dapo Abiodun as the governor of the state.
The tribunal dismissed the petition brought forth by the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladi Adebutu, declared it as incompetent because it referred to INEC’s result as purported.
The petition contested the legitimacy of the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in March as the outcome of the polls against incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun.
On Saturday, the tribunal concluded that Mr Adebutu’s petition was fatally flawed on the grounds of incompetence hinged upon the fact that the petitioner’s case did not directly address the election results as officially declared by INEC.
Rather, Mr Adebutu’s petition had insinuated that the results were “purported,” which, in essence, suggested that he might have come before the tribunal to argue based on mere rumours rather than established facts.
In its ruling, the tribunal asserted, “Petitioners have a duty, as outlined in the Schedule, to plead the election results as officially announced. Regrettably, the petitioners failed to fulfill this duty.
“Instead, they used the word ‘purportedly’ when describing the election results, a term that, according to the dictionary, implies unverified rumours.
“Therefore, the court finds that the petitioners should have challenged the officially announced results, not unsubstantiated rumours.”
Consequently, the tribunal arrived at a decision, deeming the petition as legally incompetent due to this fundamental flaw.
