Fatshimetrie: The defeat of the APC and Timipre Sylva in court
The recent decision of the court headed by Justice Adekunle Adeleye to dismiss the petition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, is bound to spark interest and reflections. Indeed, the court held that the petition lacked merit and credibility as the petitioners failed to produce convincing evidence to support the allegations made against the conduct of the state’s gubernatorial election.
In its unanimous decision, the court noted that the petitioners presented additional evidence and affidavits of witnesses long after the petition was filed, which went against the legal provisions governing elections. Indeed, the law requires that any election petition be filed within 21 days after the publication of the election results, accompanied by written statements from all expected witnesses.
Meanwhile, the court dismissed the allegation that the Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, presented a counterfeit university degree and NYSC exemption certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to justify his qualification to contest in the election. The court found that this issue fell within pre-election litigation to be brought before the Federal Court, and that the time limit for challenging the validity of the certificates had expired.
Furthermore, the court emphasized that Ewhrudjakpo’s academic qualification had already been validated by a competent court, taking into account the fact that he is a distinguished lawyer. He therefore rejected the contradictory demands of the petitioners, namely the request to invalidate the election while claiming their victory. The lack of hard evidence of any electoral irregularities raised by Sylva and the APC was also highlighted by the court.
In conclusion, the court’s decision to reject the petition of the APC and Timipre Sylva highlights the importance of respecting deadlines and legal procedures in any electoral process. It also highlights the importance of presenting credible and tangible evidence to support claims of electoral fraud. This case demonstrates once again that truth and transparency must prevail in the democratic process, to guarantee the integrity of elections and respect for the will of the people.