Senator Sharafadeen Alli has said the judgment of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal is a reaffirmation the transparency of his victory in the 25 February election.
The senator elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), representing Oyo South Senatorial District, stated this in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media), Akeem Abas.
The tribunal, sitting in Ibadan, had, today, dismissed the petition of the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Joseph Tegbe, challenging the victory of Alli in the 25 February, 2023 election.
APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were also joined in the suit as the second and third respondents, respectively.
The tribunal dismissed the petition in its entirety for lacking in merit. It stated that the petitioner had failed to present cogent, reliable and compelling evidence to affect the result of the poll as declared by the third respondent, INEC.
Alli expressed appreciation to God as well as his constituents who he said gave him their mandate and stood by him throughout the process.
“I am deeply humbled and grateful to God for the victory at the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal.
“My sincere appreciation to the people of Oyo South Senatorial District who gave me their mandate and have stood by me throughout this process.
“The outcome of the tribunal’s verdict reaffirms that the election was won in a transparent and fair manner, and my victory was well-deserved,” he said.
The lawmaker thanked his legal team for working tirelessly to defend him and ensuring justice prevailed.
Alli appealed to all stakeholders, including other political parties to join hands with him in moving the senatorial district forward.
This, he said, can be done by initiating impactful projects that would enhance the quality of life for the people.
He promised to remain a humble servant and good representative of his senatorial district at the Senate.
“Now that this legal challenge has been concluded, it is time for us to put aside our differences and work together for the collective interest of our people.
“I am honoured to have your trust and confidence, and I pledge to continue to serve you selflessly and with utmost dedication. Together, we will build a brighter and better Oyo South Senatorial District,” he said.
The Election Petition Tribunal upheld the election of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The judgment came two days after same panel dismissed the petition of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and its candidate, Funmilola Gbogbolomo Adewale Maryam, against Alli on the grounds that the petition was incompetent.
Alli scored 111,513 votes against Tegbe’s 92,481 votes in the election held in over 2,400 polling units in the nine local government areas that make up Oyo South Senatorial District.
Tegbe had, in the petition, marked EPT/OY/SEN/04/2023, asked the three-man tribunal, led by Justice A. M. Yakubu, to order a rerun of the election in the senatorial district.
He alleged that Alli failed to garner the majority of lawful votes in the election, thus constituting non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Tegbe called 32 witnesses, including himself, to prove his case that the electoral exercise was fraught with irregularities and failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The tribunal held that the signatures of most of the witnesses who introduced themselves as PDP agents during the election did not tally with the documents signed at their respective polling units and the ones on their statements on oath.
According to the tribunal, one of the witnesses, when docked, said he did not make the statement on oath ascribed to him and that the signature on it was not his own.
The tribunal also stated that the PDP witnesses did not provide any means of identification that would show they worked as PDP polling agents on the day of the election.
It added that the statements on oath for some of the petitioners’ witnesses said they were female, whereas men made appearance before the special court.
On the allegation of over-voting, the tribunal noted that the petitioners failed to rely on voter register to establish over-voting.
It added that the voter register is an integral part of proving the allegation, and that the Electoral Act has not abolished voter register.
Every voter, the tribunal held, must have found his or her name in the voter register and the name would be ticked at each polling unit before the voter would be made to go through Biomodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for accreditation.
The tribunal also held that the evidence presented before it by the petitioners were difficult to believe
“The petitioners have failed to present cogent, reliable, and compelling evidence, sufficient to affect te results of the poll, as declared by INEC,” the tribunal stated.
On the issue of reconfiguration of BVAS raised by the petitioners, the tribunal held that the petitioners failed to prove that reconfiguration of the BVAS for the purpose of conducting Governorship and House of Assembly poll did not mean that all the data on the system had been erased.
It stated further that the petitioners should have called INEC to answer questions on reconfiguration of the BVAS.
Delivering the final judgment on the case by NNPP, the tribunal held that the petition was incompetent.
It stated that the ground upon which it was premised related to a pre-election matter which ought not to be brought before the tribunal.
The tribunal held that, with regards to the pleadings and evidence before it, the petitioners also failed to rebut the presumption of regularity in the conduct of the election by INEC.
