By Imman Audu

When the Ekiti State Election Petitions Tribunal, recently, gave its judgment on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against the declaration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi as winner of the recent governorship election, it set perspectives on the new dispensation in the state.

Fayemi

The declaration was accompanied by much celebration especially in the state capital, Ado Ekiti.

Civil servants, pensioners and their dependents who had now gotten used to more regular payment of their entitlements were undoubtedly overjoyed that the new dispensation was not about to be aborted.

They had every reason to celebrate given that at the  departure of the Ayodele Fayose administration their entitlements had started running into months of arrears.

The stage for the new dispensation had been set in the election that threw up Dr. Fayemi for a second term.

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In the election, which took place on July 14 2018, Fayemi who flew the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) recorded 197,450 votes to overwhelm Prof. Olusola Elekah who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party that was in power in the state at the time of the election.

Apparently peeved with the outcome of the election Elekah and the PDP dragged Fayemi, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to the Governorship Election Tribunal set up for the state. The tribunal had relocated to the federal capital Abuja following perceptions raised against the state of insecurity in the state.

So when the tribunal in Abuja gave its judgment dismissing the petition it was no small joy that transcended the state. It even flowed across party lines. Those celebrating formed a joyful carnival that moved through the Akure-Ikere-Ado-Ekiti road and caused serious traffic jam.

The joy even went beyond the state capital to other parts of the state reaching Ijero, Aramoko, Ikere, Okemesi and Ifaki among other major towns in the state.

Remarkably, the jubilation unlike when the former regime was in power did not lead to any loss of lives or property.

Throughout the time of the celebration supporters of the victorious APC and those of the vanquished PDP in the state did not fight as each took its portion of the judgment with equanimity.

In its unanimous judgment delivered by the chairman   of  the three-man tribunal,  Justice Sulei-man  Belgore, it affirmed  that  the  petitioners   failed to  prove  their  case that the election was characterised  by   irregularities which caused Fayemi to be returned as the winner of the election.

Indeed, the tribunal observed that some of the oral evidence produced by the petitioners even spoke against the petition as those who testified averred that the election was conducted within substantial compliance with the provisions of the law.

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“ Evidence of facts not pleaded goes to nothing,” Belgore observed as he affirmed that the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would stand until it was proved that the results came through irregular means.

“On the whole, we hold that the petitioners failed to prove the allegations on the balance of probability. In fact, oral evidence of some of the witnesses called by the petitioners strengthened the case of the Respondents.

“It is clear that the irregularities claimed by the petition cannot be substantiated. We found no reason to disturb the results,” Belgore stated in his lead judgment.

The judgment was naturally welcomed by the APC among its ranks and its leadership.

Deputy Chairman of the state chapter of the APC Hon. Sola Eleshin described the electoral victory as”well-earned without any underhand tactics to warrant cancellation of the victory by the tribunal.”

According to him, ”We’re happy over the outcome of the election, but we are not in any way surprised. The governorship election that held on July 14 2019 was transparent.

“It was clear that Governor Fayemi won fair and square, so we are not afraid even if they want to appeal the judgment, we are ready for them, because we had no skeleton in our cupboard”

But the PDP was not so inclined as it vowed to appeal the judgment.

Director of Media for the Elekah campaign, Lere Olayinka, in his response, said:

“ That is not the last bus stop as regards the election petition Tribunal. The law is very clear regarding the hierarchies of courts we can approach to seek redress on this issue. We are surely going to appeal the judgement.”

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The decision to appeal the judgment has been met with controversy given that the allegation of vote- buying was spread across party lines during the election.

The decision of the state government to transfer money to civil servants on the eve of the election was described as an act of vote-buying.

Indeed, the force behind Elekah allegedly made funds transfer to civil servants few days before the election with an accompanying urge that they should vote for his candidate.

Two, unlike the Osun State governorship election that took place after the Ekiti election, foreign and domestic observers were not overtly critical of the conduct of the election in Ekiti. Even more, the jubilation that followed the pronouncement of the Justice Belgore tribunal across party lines was indicative of the endorsement of stakeholders of the election.

How the PDP in Ekiti in the face of the challenges of unity and finance it is facing can measure in pursuing the case is something that many stakeholders in the state are now asking.

*Audu is based in Ado-Ekiti