The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Ibadan has adjourned until Thursday the hearing of the application by the Allied Peoples’ Movement Party (APM) to withdraw the petition challenging the victory of Makinde.
The APM had approached the tribunal to challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the March 18 Governorship election after polling 563,756 votes.
The PDP and INEC are also named as respondents in the petition.
APM Counsel, Mr. H. Bello, informed the court on Monday that the case was scheduled for a hearing but that he had only just learned while preparing for the hearing, that the petitioner (APM) had congratulated Makinde and his party.
Bello claimed that the petitioner had lost interest in the petition’s outcome and that the party’s national chairman had ordered him to submit a request for the petition’s withdrawal as a result.
He claimed that withdrawing the petition would spare the tribunal and the respondents’ attorney time.
Bello stated that he only filed the withdrawal application on Monday and served the respondents’ counsel.
The counsel for INEC, Mr. K. Duru, the counsel for the PDP, Mr. Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), and the counsel for Makinde, Mr. Kunle Kalejaye (SAN), all acknowledged receiving the application and stated that they would not object to it.
The tribunal, presided over by Justice Ejiron Emudainohwo, stated that the application for withdrawal would not be heard today.
Emudainohwo stated that the proceedings were scheduled for hearing rather than hearing the application for withdrawal.
She adjourned the hearing on the application until Thursday.
