Ekiti State Election Petition Tribunal yesterday granted permission to the governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji, and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to inspect the materials used for the conduct of the June 18 governorship election.
APC had through an ex-parte application applied for the order of inspection to enable them gather materials needed to defend themselves in a petition filed by the runner-up and candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Segun Oni.
The party, through its counsel, Kabir Akingbolu, sought “an order granting leave to the 2nd respondent/applicant to move the applicant outside the pre-hearing session.”
It also sought “an order of the tribunal permitting the applicant or its agents for the purpose of defending the petition, to take certified copies and conduct manual/physical inspection of all electoral materials used in the conduct of election into the office of governor of Ekiti State held on June 18 in the 16 local governments of Ekiti State.
“An order directing the 4th respondent and any other agents of the 4th respondent to allow the applicant and/or its counsel to inspect and if deemed necessary make/procure certified true copies of the BVAS, accredited voters, print-outs, scanned and transmitted documents, among others.
Delivering ruling, the Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, granted the prayers of the APC to have access to the electoral materials.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the 4th defendant, to grant the APC access to inspect electoral materials, saying
it is germane for the applicant to defend the petition.
Oni on July 7 approached the tribunal sitting on the premises of the state High Court in Ado-Ekiti to challenge Oyebanji’s victory in the June 18 governorship poll.
The SDP candidate in his petition called for the reversal of the declaration of the APC candidate as the winner of the election and declare him the winner, claiming that he scored the highest number of lawful votes in the poll.
He urged the tribunal to, in the alternative, nullify the election and order a rerun in view of the alleged widespread irregularities that fraught the election.