Ekiti State Governor, Engr. Segun Oni has urged the Election Petitions Tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by the Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, challenging his (Oni) victory in the rerun poll, describing the petition as lacking in merit, frivolous and time wasting.

The governor is also challenging results of election in Ado Local Government and Igbemo Ward in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State, claiming that the 16,612 votes credited to the AC in Ado Local Government are invalid as there was no accreditation of voters before election was held in the council area.

Fayemi had in his petition challenged results of the election in four out of the eleven wards in Ido/Osi Local Government and two wards in Ijero Local Government Area, alleging irregularities, violence among others.

Governor Oni, who was at the Tribunal at about 12.15 pm today to sign his Statement on Oath, said the petition filed by Fayemi was full of “lies, concoction and cock-and-bull stories”.

In a 304-page reply to Fayemi’s petition, Oni accused Fayemi and his party of fomenting crises before, during and after the rerun election, saying; “the Petitioners had several strategies for the re run election which they wanted to win at all cost. Part of their strategies was to cause violence in PDP strong holds to ensure that elections were cancelled in those units and wards where the 1st Respondent had majority of lawful votes. This was the reason why they successfully prevented election from holding in Oye Town on April 25, 2009. It took the combined effort of all security agencies in the country who were drafted to the small community of Oye town on May 5, 2008 before election could hold in the town.

  “In the case of Ifaki, where the 1^st Respondent comes from, the people of the town were resolute in their determination to come out en masse to vote and also refuse to be provoked into creating a violent environment. Hon Saliu Adeoti and his thugs could not penetrate the town until after the election. And in a bid to carry out his ‘assignment’ at all cost headed for the collation centre where he set ablaze the INEC office and the electoral materials.”

 He said the tribunal should dismiss Fayemi’s petition in its entirety averring that all the relief sought in paragraph 133 of the Petition and indeed the entire Petition are frivolous, time-wasting and lack merit.  

Governor Oni in his Statement on Oath listed 150 witnesses and attached over 200 pages of documents in support of his defence.  

Challenging the results of the April 14, 2007 election in Ado Local Government, Governor Oni averred that “There was no accreditation of voters done in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2006 and the Election Manual, 2007.  

“The colour of ink used for accreditation of voters on the various voters’ registers in respect of all the polling units constituting Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area negates the prescribed colour of ink to be used for Governorship election in the Election Manual, 2007.

“All the ballot papers used in casting votes for the Petitioners in Ado-Ekiti are invalid because of non-stamping and non-signing of as prescribed by the Electoral Act and Election Manual, 2007.”  

Speaking after signing his Statement on Oath, Governor Oni said he was at the court personally to file his defence because of his unalloyed respect for the judiciary, adding that no one is above the law.