Ekiti Poll: Appeal Court Rejects SDP Request To Relocate Tribunal

The Court of Appeal has declined a request by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to move the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal from Ado-Ekiti over alleged security concerns.

The development stalled Tuesday’s proceedings as the tribunal adjourned the matter to Wednesday, September 24, to clarify the status of correspondence concerning the proposed relocation.

SDP counsel, Ebenezer Akinbuli, had asked for the tribunal to be moved following an alleged assault on the party’s lawyer.

However, at Tuesday’s sitting, the chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, informed lawyers that the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, had declined to order the transfer.

Justice Kutigi said the tribunal remained properly constituted to continue hearing the petitions.

Counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabir Akingbolu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bunmi Ipinlaiye, said they were unaware of the reported decision, which had been communicated through the tribunal secretary.

The tribunal consequently adjourned proceedings to September 24 to resolve the uncertainty and determine the next step.

Speaking after the sitting, Akingbolu said the petitioners had renewed their request for a change of venue, clarifying that the application concerned the SDP petition and not the Action Alliance (AA) petition.

He also said separate letters seeking adjournment had been filed in connection with both petitions.

The APC counsel further urged the petitioners to focus on the substantive issues before the tribunal rather than applications that could delay proceedings.

The petitions are challenging the outcome of the Ekiti governorship election, in which Governor Biodun Oyebanji was declared winner.