Segun Oni, the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate for the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, has filed a petition at the Election Petitions Tribunal in Ado, the state’s capital, challenging the results of the election.
Oni was accompanied by his legal team, the SDP state chairman, and chieftains Thursday evening, July 7, as they delivered the more than 1,000-page appeal to the Election Petitions Tribunal office.
The SDP candidate just stated that the action is being taken to safeguard the sanctity of the system without commenting on the petition’s content.
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But the leader of his legal team said the petition by Oni will challenge the eligibility of the Governor-elect, Mr Oyebanji to contest the election and question the actual victory attributed to him in the poll.
Oni, while fielding reporters’ questions, shortly after filing the suit on Thursday evening at the High Court premises in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital said;
I’m here to submit my petition in accordance with law and we are doing this to defend the sanctity of the system. I challenging the election result because I believe that I won.
Oyebanji was declared winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) who polled 187,057 votes against Segun Oni who scored 82,209 votes.
In the run-up to the elections, Oni had alleged some masked people are unleashing terror and arrests on his supporters ahead of the governorship election in the state slated for Saturday.
He went further that the assailants abducted one of his supporters, Kayode Adelusi who has not been found.
According to Oni, on Thursday, June 15, some people close to the Presidency are behind the dastardly act; using their influence to launch undeserved arrests and oppression on his supporters.
Oni further said;
Two nights ago, armed people with face masks went to one of my supporters’ place, Kayode Adelusi, they broke his door, abducted him and as I speak to you we don’t know where he is.
We accept the fact that the IGP said adequate measure are in place to safeguard people in the state, but he must address the issue of indiscriminate arrest. These people are bringing oppression to people who didn’t belong to them.
