Tribunal Dismisses Action Alliance’ Case Against Seyi Makinde

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Ibadan, Oyo State has upheld the re-election of Eng. Seyi Makinde as the Governor of the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Makinde, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the election held on March 18, 2023.

He scored 563,756 votes to win in 31 of the 33 LGAs in the state, while Senator Teslim Folarin of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 256,685 votes.

Adebayo Adelabu of the Accord Party came a distant third with 38,357 votes.

Babatunde Ajala, governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), had challenged Makinde’s victory.

In his petition, INEC was named as the first respondent, while Makinde and the PDP were the second and third respondents respectively.

Delivering the judgment on Friday, a three-member panel, led by Ejiron Emudainohwo, dismissed Ajala’s petition.

While speaking with journalists immediately after the case was dismissed, Otunba Kunle Kalejaye, SAN, who represented Governor Seyi Makinde expressed his satisfaction about the judgement, but called for urgent review of the electoral laws to prevent wasting the previous time of the judiciary.

He queried why a party with less than 400 votes without structure will be challenging someone who polled above 500, 000 votes.

“It is time for the urgent review of the electoral laws so that some people will not be approaching the court with cases that will just be wasting the time of the judiciary,” he said.