In what is clearly a prayer answer, the national assembly elections petitions tribunal sitting in Akure, Ondo state, has declared Albert Akintoye candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election into Okitipupa/Irele federal constituency in the house of representatives.
The tribunal sacked Ikengboju Gboluga, who was declared the winner and sworn in before. Gboluga is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, Albert Akintoye candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had challenged the result.
In its judgement, the three-man panel held that the petitioner was able to prove that the respondent swore an oath of allegiance to the United kingdom and thus he is ineligible to run for political office in Nigeria as enshrined in the section 66 of 1999 constitution.
The panel directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw Gboluga’s certificate of return and issue another one to Akintoye.
