Appeal Court Raises Tribunal for By-election Petitions

The Court of Appeal President, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has set up a tribunal to hear petitions on Saturday’s by-elections in Lagos and Oyo states.

The Independent National Electoral Commission conducted by-elections and rerun polls in 80 local government areas of 26 states, across 575 registration areas and 8,934 polling units.

The courts mandated the rerun polls while the by-elections were held because of the resignations or deaths of members of the state and national assemblies.

The elections in Lagos and Oyo states were conducted in two constituencies, Surulere Federal Constituency and Saki West State Constituency.

The tribunal secretary, Ibrahim Usman, said, on Monday,  that the panel would be sitting at the Roseline Omotosho Courthouse Ikeja, Lagos.

He said, “For any enquiry, members of the public area are advised to contact the tribunal’s registry at the aforementioned venue.”

In the Surulere Federal Constituency 1, Fuad Laguda of the All Progressives Congress won the by-election by scoring a total of 11,2023 votes to beat his closest opponent, Jerry Afemighie of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 278 votes.

The Labour Party candidate, Adeola Adebanjo, scored 240 votes.

Meanwhile, in Oyo State, the candidate of the Ibrahim Shittu of the APC was declared the winner of the rerun election conducted in the Saki West State Constituency.

Shittu scored 13,850 votes in the rerun election which was conducted in some polling units in the constituency.

His strongest challenger,  Julius Okedoyin of the PDP polled 13, 670 votes.