Ogun Tribunal: Abiodun, Akinlade know fate Saturday

The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta has fixed Saturday for judgement in the election petition challenging the victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun in the March 9 gubernatorial election in the state.

The petition was filed by Hon. Abdulkabir Akinlade and his party, the Allied People’s Movement (APM), asking the Tribunal to upturn the victory of Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Tribunal had in its August 19 sitting, reserved its judgment shortly after all parties had adopted their respective final written addresses and promised to notify them when the judgment would be ready.

And while adopting his final written address, the petitioner – Akinlade, through his lead counsel, Mike Osuman, SAN, asked the court to disqualify Abiodun as a candidate of APC in the last Governorship election and nullify the declaration of Abiodun as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Petitioner also prayed the Tribunal to return him (Akinlade) as the governor.

But Abiodun’s lead counsel, Prof Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, described the APM’s petition as one that lacks merit and dead on arrival, urging that it should be dismissed in its entirety.