The Appeal Court sitting in Ibadan has sacked the Oyo Assembly lawmaker representing Saki West State Constituency, Hon Shittu Ibrahim, goalpoacher news report.
According to the goalpoacher report, Recall INEC had earlier Mr. Shittu Ibrahim of the All Peoples Congress (APC) as the winner of the election held on 18th March 2023.
It declared that Ibrahim scored 13,692 votes to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Julius Okedoyin, who scored 13,422 votes.
Dissatisfied with the declaration, Okedoyin and the PDP headed to the tribunal alleging over-voting, irregularity, and non-compliance with electoral guidelines.
Delivering a unanimous ruling of the three-man panel, its chairman, Justice Jubril Anaja, held that the petition had merit and that the petitioners proved their allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
Anaja ruled that the cancellation of results from Ward 6 Unit 7 and Ward 11 Unit 19 of the constituency with 1,285 voter cards collected, could substantially affect the outcome of the election.
The tribunal noted that whereas the declared winner led the petitioner by 270 votes in Ward 6, Unit 7, and Ward 11, Unit 19, the number of voters disenfranchised was more than 1,000.
Hon Shittu had approached the Appellate Court to overturn the judgment delivered by the election Petition Tribunal in September.
In the ruling, the Court of Appeal upheld the lower court judgment, ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate earlier presented to Shittu Ibrahim, and conduct a re-run election in the two polling units.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State House of Assembly on Tuesday declared the seat of the lawmaker representing Saki West vacant following his sack by the Court of Appeal.
Recall that the House resumed Plenary on Tuesday after the Parliamentary Staff called off their strike.
At the plenary on Tuesday where the lawmakers approved the 2023 Supplementary Budget, the question of quorum was raised among the lawmakers owing to the numbers of those present.
It was gathered that the Speaker, Rt Hon Adebo Ogundoyin ruled that following the sack of Hon Shittu Ibrahim by the Court of Appeal, his seat has become vacant and two-thirds of members must be 21.
