Appeal Court reserves judgement on Ekiti Assembly seat

Agency ReporterNovember 14, 2017

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The Court of Appeal on Monday reserved judgment on the Ado-Ekiti Constituency 1 seat of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

Justice Ahmad Belgore, after parties in the suit, adopted their briefs of argument, said the court would communicate the date of judgment to them.

Counsel to Arogundade, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), in adopting his brief of argument, urged the court to allow the appeal and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court which sacked his client as a lawmaker.

Counsel to Obayemi, Mr. Olayinka Sokoya, urged the court to refuse the appeal with substantial cost.

The appeal was filed by the lawmaker representing the constituency, Mr. Musa Arogundade, against the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, which declared Mr. Toyin Obayemi, as the valid candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for April 11, 2015, Assembly poll.

The Federal High Court presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo had on July 4, 2016, nullified Arogundade’s election and ordered him to refund all salaries, allowances, and emoluments he had received since his inauguration.

The lower court held that Arogundade fraudulently obtained a Federal High Court, Abuja order to validate his candidacy and that he served as an agent to another contestant, Mr. Odunayo Talabi, at the poll and was never a candidate.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, Arogundade filed an appeal and joined Obayemi, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Talabi and PDP as respondents.