Kaduna Division of the Court of Appeal has upheld the judgment of Ekiti State election petition tribunal which declared Senator Biodun Olujimi, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, as winner of Ekiti South Senatorial district election held on February 23.
This has closed the bid by Senator Dayo Adeyeye to reclaim the seat after he was declared winner of the February 23 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Adeyeye was the chairman of the Senate Committee on information.
Mrs Olujimi challenged the result at the tribunal on the grounds that she scored the highest number of votes cast and asked the tribunal to nullify Adeyeye’s victory on the grounds that the election was marred by massive irregularities.
She pointed out that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, having been allegedly fraught with all manner of irregularities.
The tribunal in its judgment nullified the elections in some polling units and declared Mrs Olujimi the authentic winner of the polls.
Adeyeye and his party, APC, filed a petition at the Court of Appeal, asking it to set aside the ruling of the lower court.
However, while delivering unanimous judgement on Wednesday in Kaduna, Justice Uzor Anyanwu upheld the judgment of the tribunal and ordered INEC to issue fresh certificate of return to Senator Biodun Olujimi.
