The tribunal's decision came following a petition lodged by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Babatunde Fadare, who challenged Akinsuroju's election victory.
The tribunal's ruling stipulated that the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Constituency election held on March 18th, 2023, was inconclusive. As a result, the tribunal ordered a rerun election in six of the 27 polling units contested by the PDP candidate out of the total 191 polling units within the Constituency.
Akinsuroju had been declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after amassing a total of 10,207 votes, surpassing the PDP candidate who secured 9,287 votes. However, Fadare argued that the election was invalid due to non-compliance with electoral laws and contended that Nelson Akinsuroju did not lawfully secure the highest number of votes.
Fadare pleaded with the court to declare the election inconclusive and direct INEC to conduct a supplementary election in the six affected units where the election was disrupted. The petitioner also included INEC and APC as respondents in the petition.
The tribunal, led by Chairman Rose Soji, delivered its judgment and mandated a rerun election in six affected polling units situated in the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo local government area of Ondo State.
In response to the verdict, Remi Olatubora SAN, the counsel for Akinsuroju, expressed dissatisfaction, asserting that the judgment seemed one-sided and was based on the moral aspect of the case rather than the competence of the results. Represented by Barrister Olumide Ogidan, the defense counsel, emphasized that they would scrutinize the judgment and appeal within the stipulated timeframe, as outlined in the Electoral Act of 2022.
The deposed lawmaker, Akinsuroju, has called for calm and encouraged the residents of the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo State Constituency to remain optimistic. He assured them that his legal team would file an appeal, aiming to safeguard their mandate and uphold the democratic dividends they have enjoyed for over four months.
