Ekiti 2026: SDP counsel boycotts tribunal as Court of Appeal rejects request to relocate venue

By Rotimi Ojomoyela ADO-EKITI — The Court of Appeal has declined a request by counsel to the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Ebenezer Akinbuli, to relocate the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal from Ado-Ekiti over alleged security concerns. The development came as the tribunal on Tuesday adjourned proceedings to Wednesday, September 24, to clarify the status of correspondence relating to the proposed relocation of the tribunal. The tribunal had earlier adjourned proceedings from September 16 to September 23 to enable the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, consider the petitioners’ request for a change of venue following an alleged assault on SDP counsel.

However, in the absence of the SDP counsel, another letter was served on the tribunal seeking an adjournment pending a decision on the application to relocate the proceedings. At Tuesday’s sitting, the Chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, informed counsel that the President of the Court of Appeal had declined to order the transfer of the sitting. He said the tribunal remained properly constituted to continue hearing the petitions.

Counsel to the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kabir Akingbolu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Bunmi Ipinlaiye, said they were not aware of the alleged decision of the Court of Appeal, which had been served through the tribunal secretary. Justice Kutigi consequently adjourned the matter to September 24 to clear any uncertainty and allow proceedings to continue. Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Akingbolu said the petitioners had renewed their request for the relocation of the tribunal from Ado-Ekiti, adding that the application related to the SDP petition and not the Action Alliance, AA, petition.

He also said letters seeking adjournment had been filed in relation to the two petitions. Akingbolu further described the challenge to Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s victory as unusual, citing the margin of victory and voting pattern recorded in the election. He said the governor won in all 16 local government areas and most of the 177 wards in the state, and questioned the basis of the petition.

According to him, the petitioners had also sought several adjournments, which he said had slowed the proceedings. Akingbolu urged the petitioners to focus on the substantive issues befor… The counsel, Mr Akinbuli, who was absent at the sitting, sent a letter to the court seeking an adjournment of the hearing pending the appellate court's address on the application for the relocation of the hearing.

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