Immediate past Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, on Wednesday, lost her case concerning the 28th March election into the House of Representatives in Oyo State.
Akande-Adeola, a two-term lawmaker in the House or Representatives and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South and Oriire Federal Constituency, lost her seat in the House to Ebenezer Segun Ogunwuyi the candidate of the Labour Party.
Akande-Adeola had asked the tribunal, through her lawyer, Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN), to upturn Ogunwuyi’s election with the argument that Ogunwuyi did not validly resign his membership of the PDP before joining the Labour Party under which he contested and won the election.
But the three-man tribunal led by Justice James Abundaga,dismissed the petition with suit number EPT/IB/NA/REP/1/2015, stating that time is of essence in election petition matters.
“We are also bound by what the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court decisions were in different cases like the one at hand, especially recent court’s decision in Omisore against Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola,” the tribunal said, arguing that Akande-Adeola’s petition was filed out of time and was therefore deemed abandoned.
