Tribunal strikes out petition challenging Rep. Faleke’s victory
An Ikeja Election Petitions Tribunal on Friday struck out an application challenging the victory of Rep. James Faleke, representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kunaza Hamidu, struck out the application, following a motion filed by the petitioner, Mutiu Okunola, a candidate of the PDP, who ran against Faleke in the election.
Okunola, who defected to the APC had raised a petition against Faleke, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking a reversal of Faleke’s victory and asking the tribunal to declare him winner of the election.
During proceedings, Okunola’s counsel, Owoyemi Ibrahim, informed the tribunal that Okunola had made a decision to withdraw the petition he filed against the respondents.
Ibrahim told the three-man panel that in withdrawing the petition, he filed a motion pursuant to Section 145(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010, alongside an 11- paragraph affidavit which was deposed to by the petitioner.
He therefore, urged the tribunal to grant the prayers contained in the motion and withdraw the petition filed against all the respondents.
Responding, Kolawole Salami, counsel to Faleke and Ademola Adefolaju, counsel to the APC, told the tribunal that they would not oppose the petitioner’s motion to withdraw the petition.
Salami and Adefolaju also informed the tribunal that their clients had filed a nine-paragraph affidavit in response to the petitioner’s motion. Counsel to INEC, Z. S. Makinde, also informed the court that INEC would not be opposing the motion.
Following the submissions of counsels, Justice Hamidu said that “having read through the petitioner’s motion dated and filed on May 30, with the affidavit and written address and having gone through the first and second respondents’ affidavits, leave is granted to the petitioner to withdraw his motion.
“Consequently, the petitioner’s petition against all the respondents is hereby struck out”.
