Tribunal sacks Ondo lawmaker, orders rerun in six units……I’m going to appeal -Akinsuroju

DAMISI OJO,Akure

An Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has nullified the election of a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly representing Ileoluji/Okeigbo state constituency, Hon. Nelson Akinsuroju of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The Tribunal also ordered rerun elections in six of the 27 polling units where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate challenged the election results.

It declared the March 18, 2023 Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Constituency election inconclusive.

The tribunal favoured the petition filed by the PDP Candidate, Babatunde Fadare, against the election of Akinsuroju.

It would be recalled that the lawmaker was declared winner by INEC after scoring a total number of 10,207 votes to beat the Petitioner, who scored 9,287 votes.

Consequently, Fadare urged the court to declare the election inconclusive and order INEC to conduct supplementary election in the six units where elections were disrupted.

He also joined INEC and APC as respondents in the petition.

The three-man panel led by the Chairman, Rose Soji, thereafter ordered a rerun in the six affected polling units in Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo local government area of Ondo State.

In his reaction to the judgment, counsel to Akinsuroju, Remi Olatubora, SAN, represented by Barrister Olumide Ogidan, said that the judgment was biased, and based on morality of the case and not competence of the results.

He added that the decision would be challenge at the Appeal Court.