By Ola Ajayi

Ibadan—Supporters of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State went wild with jubilation yesterday as  the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal upheld his victory at the April 11, 2015 polls.

His election at the poll was challenged by the candidate of Accord Party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.

The three-man panel including Justices Mohammed Maiyaki, Muhammed Karange and J. E. Ikede, in a three and half hour unanimous judgment, dismissed the petition of Ladoja saying it failed woefully to give credible and reliable evidence to prove various allegations of electoral malpractices, violence, fabrication of results levelled against the first respondent, Governor Ajimobi.

Among the reliefs sought by Ladoja are  that he should be declared validly elected and returned having polled the highest number of lawful votes cast at the governorship election; that the said election and the return of the 1st respondent, Senator Abiola Ajimobi are voided by acts which clearly violate and breach various provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended including but not limited to rigging and manipulation of election results, unprecedented acts of violence, thuggery, deliberate refusal to use smart card readers and allocation of votes where election did not hold.

The tribunal faulted all the witnesses produced by Accord Party saying their evidence was unreliable, inconsistent and contradictory.