Ekiti: Appeal court affirms Oyebanji’s election

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has upheld the judgement of the lower court validating the victory of Governor Biodun Oyebanji at the June 18, 2022, governorship election in the state.

Chief Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) had approached the appellate court to upturn the judgment of the lower court in his favour.

Justice Hamma Barka, in the judgment delivered virtually yesterday, said the appellant, Segun Oni, failed to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Barka held that the respondents, Biodun Oyebanji and Monisade Afuye, were duly elected as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ekiti State.

• Naira crisis: Kaduna offers free health, transportation to residents
• Growth as sacrifice for naira redesign policy

He said Governor Oyebanji was lawfully nominated as the candidate of the APC and that he emerged the winner of the election conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.

He added that the petition challenging the certificate of the deputy governorship candidate of the APC, Monisade Afuye, was a plan by the appellant to circumvent the rule of law as the respondent presented a valid certificate to the electoral body.

Reacting, Oni said he would challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court.

Spokesperson of the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation, Jackson Adebayo, told newsmen that the SDP candidate would exhaust every available judicial means to retrieve his mandate.