By Rotimi Ojomoyela
Ado-Ekiti — Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has formulated six issues for determination before the Election Petition Tribunal hearing petitions arising from the June 20, 2026 governorship election in the state.
The governor’s issues for determination were contained in papers filed by his legal team led by Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN.
Oyebanji, candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling 319,224 votes.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr Oluwole Oluyede, came second with 40,543 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Chief Dare Bejide, polled 12,872 votes.
Two petitions were filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Action Alliance (AA) before the three-member tribunal chaired by Justice Abubakar Kutigi, which is sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The SDP candidate, Adebayo Alade, polled 179 votes, while the AA candidate, Olu Omotoso, secured 126 votes in the election.
Oluyede, the PDP candidate, has since withdrawn his petition before the tribunal.
In his defence of the SDP petition, Oyebanji formulated six issues for determination by the tribunal.
The issues are:
“Whether the Petition is not incompetent in view of its gross violation of the Electoral Act 2026 and other fundamental defects thereto.
“Whether the Petition is not incompetent for non-joinder of the APC as a necessary party in the Petition.
“Whether the Petitioners have proved that the election of the 2nd Respondent (Oyebanji) was invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
“Whether the Petitioners have proved that the election of the 2nd Respondent (Oyebanji) was invalid by reason of corrupt practices.
“Having regard to the evidence before the Tribunal, whether the Petitioners proved that the 2nd Respondent (Oyebanji) was not elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the election; and
“Whether the Petitioners, in the circumstances of the petition filed by SDP, proved that the 2nd Petitioner (Alade) is entitled to be returned as the duly elected Governor of Ekiti State, following the Ekiti State governorship election held on the 20th day of June, 2026.”
Oyebanji also formulated five issues for determination in the petition filed by the AA, which are similar to the first five issues raised in the SDP petition.
The SDP is expected to open its case on Monday by calling witnesses to testify before the tribunal.
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