Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has presented six issues for determination before the Election Petition Tribunal hearing challenges to the outcome of the state’s June 20, 2026 governorship election.
The governor, who contested the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is defending his victory against a petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP). A separate petition was also filed by the Action Alliance (AA).
Oyebanji’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, filed the issues before the three-member tribunal chaired by Justice Abubakar Kutigi.
Oyebanji won with wide margin
The governor was declared winner of the June election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He secured 319,224 votes, far ahead of the PDP candidate, Oluwole Oluyede, who received 40,543 votes.
The ADC candidate, Dare Bejide, polled 12,872 votes, while SDP candidate Adebayo Alade received 179 votes and AA candidate Olu Omotoso secured 126 votes.
Oluyede has since withdrawn his petition.
The remaining legal challenges are therefore being pursued by the SDP and AA.
Six questions before the tribunal
In response to the SDP petition, Oyebanji’s legal team formulated six issues it wants the tribunal to determine.
The first asks whether the petition is incompetent because of what the defence describes as violations of the Electoral Act 2026 and other fundamental defects.
The second questions whether the petition should fail because the APC was allegedly not joined as a necessary party.
The third asks whether the petitioners have proved that Oyebanji’s election was invalid because of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The fourth concerns allegations of corrupt practices.
The fifth asks whether the petitioners have established that Oyebanji was not elected by a majority of lawful votes.
The sixth asks whether SDP candidate Adebayo Alade has established a legal basis for being declared the duly elected governor.
Oyebanji also formulated five issues in response to the separate AA petition, which are substantially similar to the first five questions raised against the SDP case.
Tribunal proceedings continue
The tribunal is sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The SDP is expected to open its case by presenting witnesses as the proceedings continue.
The litigation will now turn on evidence presented by the petitioners and the defence, as well as the tribunal’s interpretation of the applicable electoral law.
The existence of a petition does not mean that the allegations have been established.
Similarly, Oyebanji’s request for dismissal represents the defence’s legal position and remains subject to the tribunal’s determination.
Why the case matters
Election petitions are a critical component of Nigeria’s electoral dispute-resolution framework.
Rather than allowing disputes over election outcomes to be settled politically, the tribunal process provides a legal avenue through which candidates can challenge results and present evidence of alleged irregularities.
The Ekiti case will therefore be closely watched by political parties and observers, particularly as the state prepares for the next phase of its political cycle.
For Oyebanji, the immediate objective is to preserve the mandate declared by INEC.
For the petitioners, the challenge represents an opportunity to establish before the tribunal that the election should be nullified or otherwise reconsidered under the law.
The final outcome will depend on the evidence and legal arguments presented before the tribunal.