Tribunal Upholds Oyekunle DON’s Election, Dismisses SDP Petition

The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ibadan has upheld the electoral victory of the member representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency, Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle, in the August 16, 2025 bye-election.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Wednesday by a three-member panel, the tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) against Hon. Oyekunle and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing the case as lacking merit and substantial evidence.

The tribunal further awarded a cost of ₦2 million against the SDP in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), holding that the petition was frivolous and unsubstantiated.

The SDP, in its petition marked EPT/OY/HR/01/2025, had challenged the victory of the PDP candidate, Hon. Oyekunle, and joined INEC as a respondent, alleging non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 in the conduct of the bye-election. The party consequently urged the tribunal to nullify the August 16 election and order a fresh or supplementary poll in some polling units across the Ibadan North Federal Constituency.

However, counsel to the PDP, Tunji Ogunrinde, SAN, filed a notice of preliminary objection, challenging the competence of the petition on the grounds that the petitioner failed to comply with the extant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. He urged the tribunal to dismiss the suit, describing it as frivolous, speculative and gold-digging.

Following the closure of parties’ cases and the adoption of their written addresses, the tribunal held that the SDP failed to establish its allegations against Hon. Oyekunle and INEC with credible, cogent and convincing evidence. The panel consequently dismissed the petition in its entirety, declaring it ineffective and without merit, while imposing the monetary cost on the petitioner.

Hon. Oyekunle was elected into the National Assembly during the August 16 bye-election after polling 18,404 votes, defeating his closest rival, Murphy Olatunji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 8,312 votes, while the SDP candidate garnered 88 votes.

Reacting to the judgment, Hon. Oyekunle described the tribunal’s verdict as a clear affirmation of the will of the people of Ibadan North Federal Constituency.

Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Bodija Akinwale, the federal lawmaker said the judgment confirmed that the electorate genuinely voted for him, stressing that the mandate freely given by the people could not be taken away through litigation.

Bodija expressed appreciation to the people of Ibadan North for their steadfast support and confidence, noting that the various petitions challenging the election outcome were mere distractions that did not reflect the realities on ground.

According to him, the legal challenges did not in any way distract Hon. Oyekunle from his legislative duties, assuring constituents of his continued commitment to effective, people-oriented representation, quality lawmaking and responsive leadership.