The election petition tribunal in Akure has nullified the election of a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon. Nelson Akinsuroju. Akinsuroju, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), representing the Ileoluji/Okeigbo constituency.
The tribunal’s decision was based on a petition filed by the candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Babatunde Fadare, challenging Akinsuroju’s legitimacy.
The tribunal then has mandated a rerun election in six of the 27 polling units that the PDP Candidate contested, out of the total 191 polling units in the Constituency.
Akinsuroju was declared the winner by INEC, having garnered a total of 10,207 votes, surpassing the PDP candidate who secured 9,287 votes.
However, Fadare disputed the election results at the tribunal, arguing that the election was invalid due to non-compliance with electoral laws.
He claimed that Nelson Akinsuroju was not rightfully elected as he did not receive the highest number of lawful votes.
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Fadare requested the court to deem the election inconclusive and instruct INEC to conduct a supplementary election in the six units where disruptions occurred. INEC and APC were also implicated as respondents in Fadare’s petition.
The tribunal, led by Chairman Rose Soji, ordered a rerun in the six affected polling units located in Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo local government area of Ondo State.
In response to this decision, Akinsuroju’s counsel, Remi Olatubora SAN, criticized the judgement as being based on the case’s morality rather than the competence of the results.
Akinsuroju, who was removed from his legislative position, appealed for tranquility and assured his constituents in Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo State Constituency to remain hopeful as he plans to appeal the judgement through his legal team.
He further stated that their mandate would be safeguarded to ensure they continue to reap the benefits of their democracy, which they have enjoyed for over four months.