The National Assembly and State Houses Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal, sitting in Ikeja, has upheld the election of Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as senator for Lagos West Senatorial District.
Justice Kunaza Hamidu, leading a three-member panel, ruled on Tuesday that the petition filed by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Adeola’s victory failed to establish any prima facie case against him.
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Mr Rhodes-Vivour, through his counsel, Francis Akintola, alleged that the election was fraught with vote-buying, malpractices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Other irregularities the petitioner alleged were violence, over-voting, inducement of voters with monetary and material gains, coercion of opponents, campaigning and lobbying of voters on the day of election.
He also alleged that in his petition that there was no accreditation and proper accreditation of voters by officials of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).
Rhodes-Vivour also alleged that apart from the listed irregularities, there were irreconcilable entries in the result declared and the number of votes recorded in favour of Adeola by INEC.
He also claimed that INEC wrongly declared Adeola winner with 328,817 votes, while he scored 243,516 votes, noting that INEC ought to have declared him winner of the election instead of Adeola.
He further claimed that he scored the highest lawful votes cast at the election.
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However, defence counsels denied all allegations contained in the petition describing them as unfounded fabrications.
They insisted that Adeola scored the highest lawful votes cast at the election and urged the tribunal to dismiss Rhodes-Vivour’s petition with substantial costs.
