The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ibadan has upheld the electoral victory of the member representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency, Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle, in the August 16, 2025 bye-election.
The tribunal, in a unanimous judgment delivered on Wednesday by a three-member panel, dismissed the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) against Hon. Oyekunle and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing the case as lacking merit and substantial evidence.
In addition to dismissing the petition, the tribunal also awarded a cost of ₦2 million against the SDP in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for what it termed a frivolous and unsubstantiated suit.
Recall that the SDP, in a petition with suit number EPT/OY/HR/01/2025, challenged the victory of the PDP candidate, Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle, and joined INEC as a respondent, alleging non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 in the conduct of the bye-election.
The party consequently urged the tribunal to nullify the August 16 bye-election and order a fresh or supplementary election in some polling units across the Ibadan North Federal Constituency.
However, counsel to the PDP, Tunji Ogunrinde, SAN, in his response, filed a notice of preliminary objection, challenging the competence of the petition on the grounds that the petitioner failed to comply with the extant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. Ogunrinde further urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition, describing it as frivolous, speculative, and gold-digging.
Following the closure of parties’ cases and the adoption of their respective written addresses, the tribunal held that the SDP failed to prove its allegations against Hon. Oyekunle and INEC with credible, cogent, and convincing evidence. The panel consequently dismissed the petition in its entirety, declaring it ineffective and without merit, while imposing the monetary cost on the petitioner.
Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle was elected into the National Assembly during the August 16 bye-election after polling 18,404 votes, defeating his closest rival, Murphy Olatunji of the APC, who scored 8,312 votes, while the SDP candidate garnered only 88 votes.
Reacting to the judgment, Hon. Oyekunle described the tribunal’s verdict as a clear affirmation of the will of the people of Ibadan North Federal Constituency.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Bodija Akinwale, the federal lawmaker stated that the judgment further confirmed that the electorate genuinely voted for him, noting that the outcome had once again proven beyond doubt that the mandate freely given by the masses cannot be taken away through litigation.
Bodija expressed appreciation to the people of Ibadan North for their steadfast support and confidence, stressing that all the petitions filed against the election victory were mere distractions that did not reflect the realities on ground.
According to him, the legal distractions did not in any way deter Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle from focusing on his legislative responsibilities and commitment to effective, people-oriented representation, assuring constituents of sustained dedication to quality lawmaking and responsive leadership.
