Tribunal Nullifies Ondo Council Poll, Order Fresh Election

Friday Omosola

The Ondo State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure has nullified Igbara-Oke ward 1 in Ifedore local government area councillorship re-run election and ordered a fresh one.

The 3-man Tribunal headed by Justice D.J. Kolawole, which has Chief Magistrate Fatai Ajiboye and Magistrate C. Adeyanju as members during its sitting today in Akure agreed with the petitioner’s Counsel, Mr. Femi Emmanuel Emodamori that the ADC petition was filed within time, adding that the petitioners established that the election did not hold on 10th November, 2021 as claimed by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC).

The councillorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ojo Busola Emmanuel, and his party had dragged ODIEC to the tribunal for declaring APC candidate, Lawal Kehinde as the winner of the re-run councillorship election in Igbara-Oke ward 1, in Ifedore local government area.

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Recall that the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission, ODIEC, had on 10th November, 2021 allegedly held the re-run election in Igbara-Oke and declared Lawal Kehinde of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.

However, the Tribunal ruled that the results presented by ODIEC were fabricated.

The tribunal also set aside the election of the 1st Respondent, Lawal Kehinde of the APC.