The Court of Appeal in Ibadan Thursday reserved judgement in Senator Abiola Ajimobi’s appeal challenging the judgement of the Election Petition Tribunal on the February 23 Oyo South senatorial district election.
The tribunal had upheld the victory of Senator Kola Balogun in the February 23 National Assembly election, a verdict the immediate past governor of the state who contested against Balogun thought otherwise.
The Justice Haruna Samani-led three man panel told counsel for both the appellants and respondents that judgment would be communicated to them at a later date.
The panel of justices reserved judgment after adoption of the written addresses of the appellants: the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ajimobi, whose legal team was led by Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), and respondents.
The written submissions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator Kola Balogun and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were also taken.
Olujimi in his submission had challenged the qualification of Balogun to participate in the Feb 23 election on the ground that he did not participate in the PDP primary election but was selected.
He further argued that the National Assembly Election Tribunal did not properly evaluate the evidence brought before it before delivering judgment in the petition.
However, counsel to the INEC, Balogun and PDP respectively refuted the claim by the appellants stressing that the tribunal through due diligence examined all evidence tendered before it.
They added that the issue raised on the primary election of PDP lacked merit as being proposed by the appellant as the basis for nullifying the candidature of Balogun, the second respondent.
The respondents’ lawyers were led by Messrs Ademola Osuolale, Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and Oluwasesan Dada.
In the result of the election declared by INEC indicated that Balogun won his closest rival, Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressive Congress with a vote difference of 13,502.
The PDP candidate ended the contest with a total of 105,720 votes while the candidate of the APC had 92,217 votes. (NAN)
