Ekiti: Fayemi defeats Eleka, wins court ruling as state governor

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The Supreme Court has ruled in Kayode Fayemi’s favor as the winner of Ekiti States July 14, 2018 governorship election.

Fayemi defeated Prof. Kolapo Olusola, aka Eleka, of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State’s 2018 gubernatorial election as he won 197,459 votes to his opponent’s 178,121 votes.

The PDP condemned the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) over the conduct of the state’s election alleged to have been marred by violence and illegal vote-buying.

Eleka filed a petition before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to contest the result of election a few weeks after it was conducted.

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However, the tribunal unanimously struck out Eleka’s prayers during its ruling in Abuja on January 28, 2019.

The three-member tribunal, chaired by Justice Suleiman Bolaji Belgore, said all the allegations raised in the PDP’s petition were not substantiated by the evidence presented to the court.

When Eleka appealed the tribunal’s decision before the Court of Appeal, a three-member panel, led by Justice Stephen Adah, ruled his application as unmeritorious and dismissed it in a unanimous decision.

In his appeal before the Supreme Court, Eleka, and the PDP, urged the apex court to upturn the rulings of the two lower courts and declare him winner of the election.

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However, while delivering judgement on Friday, May 24, a five-member panel, led by Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, unanimously dismissed the application as lacking merit.

The ruling of the court means Fayemi will be able to serve his second term without any further interruption after he won another recent application before the Supreme Court which challenged his victory as APC’s flag bearer for the election.

Yetunde Adegoke (Pulse)