The petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and its gubernatorial candidate, Babatunde Samson Ajala, against Governor Seyi Makinde has been dismissed by the governorship election petition tribunal in Oyo State.
The judgment was delivered on June 2, 2023, by a three-man tribunal led by Justice Ejiro Emudainohwu. The other members of the tribunal, Justices Baraka Wali and I. S. Galadima, were also present in Ibadan, the state capital.
Governor Makinde had been declared the winner of the gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023. However, AA and its candidate approached the tribunal, seeking the cancellation of the election result due to the alleged exclusion of their candidate’s name. During the proceedings, the counsel representing AA and its candidate, Etibo Orowo King, informed the tribunal that they had decided to discontinue the case in the interest of peace and tranquility. King urged the tribunal to strike out the case.
In response, the counsel representing Governor Makinde, Kunle Kalejaye (SAN), requested the tribunal to dismiss the case outright, asserting that it was baseless and had no merit. The tribunal granted the request and dismissed the case. Additionally, they awarded a sum of N100,000 in favor of the first respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and a sum of N250,000 each in favor of the second respondent (Governor Makinde) and the third respondent (Peoples Democratic Party, PDP).
