<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Ogun State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta on Friday struck out the petition by the Labour Party against the victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Labour party had
gone to the tribunal to challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission
 ;INEC, for alleged unlawful exclusion of the Party’s candidate from
contesting during the last Governorship election in the State.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The tribunal also awarded
a Five Hundred Thousand Naira compensatory fine against the Labour Party, to be
paid to Governor Abiodun. The tribunal predicated its judgement on the absence
of the petitioner in court and neither was it represented by any counsel. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"> ;According to a statement
issued in Abeokuta by mr Kunle Somorin, the chief press secretary to the
governor Dapo Abiodun was declared that &#8220;the people spoke with their votes
on March 9 and today the Tribunal confirmed it. That is democracy at work. So,
I believe that puts an end to the petition and we pray that petition will rest
in perfect peace.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;Now, we expect
all political parties and other purpose-driven stakeholders to join hands with
us to build our future together. &#8220;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Speaking with
journalists after the judgement, Prof Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, the lead counsel to
Governor Dapo Abiodun, said the petitioner had based “their argument for
nonappearance on a letter written to the Court of Appeal asking for the case to
be transferred which was rejected by the Tribunal.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Osipitan had prayed
the court to dismiss the petition due to the absence of the petitioner as
enshrined in the nation&#8217;s law that when a petitioner and its counsel failed to
appear in court, such a petition should be dismissed, which was later agreed
upon by the tribunal</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">He added that,
 ;“We joined issues with them that they have no candidates so to say or
that the nominations of the candidate were not lawful and therefore INEC was
right in not listing their candidateas for the election. But, after we had filed
all our papers, today (Friday) was fixed for the hearing, for the case to
commence. Neither the petitioner, that is, the candidate of the Party, nor
their counsel was in court. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“They predicated their
absence on a letter they wrote to the president of the court of appeal, asking
for the case to be transferred. We felt that is not a reason why they should
not be in court at all, that even if they have any issues, they should come to
court and say it out loud and clear.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“At any rate, we
looked at the provisions of the law that say that when a case is fixed for
hearing and the petitioner is not in court, then we as respondents are entitled
to judgement dismissing the case and once it is dismissed, there is no room for
it to be re-listed.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“So we invoked that
provision and applied to the tribunal that the petition be dismissed for want
of diligent persecution because they were absent in court.&#8221;</p>

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