Saki West Bye-Election: PDP, APC in Close Marking Face-Off

Ahead of Saturday's bye-election in some polling units in Saki West Area of Oyo State, tension looms in the camp of the two gladiators. Both PDP and APC stakeholders have started throwing jabs on social media.

A situation report conducted by Oyo Defender on Monday revealed that tension has gripped residents of the area particularly in those polling units where the election are to take place for the fear of electoral violence.

While APC loyalists have started discrediting the work of Hon. Femi Okedoyin Julius for his first tenure as the State Honourable so also the loyalists of PDP Candidates do not stop calling Hon. Shittu Ibrahim all sorts of names.

INEC had earlier declared Mr Shittu Ibrahim of the All Peoples Congress (APC) as winner of the election held on March 18.

It declared that Ibrahim scored 13,692 votes to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Julius Okedoyin, who scored 13,422 votes.

Dissatisfied with the declaration, Okedoyin and the PDP headed to the tribunal alleging over-voting, irregularity and non-compliance with electoral guidelines.

Delivering a unanimous ruling of the three-man panel, its chairman, Justice Jubril Anaja, held that the petition had merit and that the petitioners proved their allegations beyond reasonable doubt.

Anaja ruled that the cancellation of results from Ward 6 Unit 7 and Ward 11 Unit 19 of the constituency with 1,285 voter cards collected, could substantially affect the outcome of the election.

The tribunal noted that whereas the declared winner led the petitioner by 270 votes in Ward 6, Unit 7 and Ward 11, Unit 19, the number of voters disenfranchised was more than 1,000.

It held that the more than 1,000 voters disenfranchised by INEC in the affected wards might have over-turned the result if they were allowed to vote.

“The certificate of return issued to the first respondent (Ibrahim) by INEC is hereby set aside pending the re-run election to determine the winner of the election for Saki West constituency.

It is a war-like situation in the two councils camp as they awaits the election.