
The Appeal Court sitting in Lagos has upheld the judgment of the National Assembly Petition Tribunal which validated the victory of Senator Sharafadeen Alli representing Oyo South Senatorial District on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a statement by Alli’s Special Adviser on Media, Akeem Abas, the senator won the appeals filed by Chief Joseph Tegbe of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Funmilola Gbogbolomo of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
The court dismissed Tegbe’s appeal on the grounds that it lacked merit, thereby affirming the judgment of the tribunal.
In Gbogbolomo’s appeal, the court rested the entire judgment on the sole issue distilled by the first respondent (INEC).
The court agreed with the tribunal and defendants that the case was a pre-election matter, while also agreeing that the appellant did not prove non-compliance.
The judges unanimously dismissed the appeal and awarded cost against the appellant.
Tegbe and Gbogbolomo had appealed the judgments of the tribunal which dismissed their separate petitions against Alli’s victory in the February 25 National Assembly election in Oyo South.