Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
The Kwara Central Senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Party in the just concluded general elections, Abdul Aiyelabegan, have withdrawn their petition before the Electoral Tribunal.
They had both in their petition demanded the nullification of the February 25 Senatorial election won by Mallam Saliu Mustapha of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Mustapha had earkuer been declared winner of the election whrn he polled 109,823 votes and had since been presented with a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Aiyelabegan, who came fifth in the election however, challenged the electoral Commission argueing that the NNPP’s logo was not visible on the ballot papers used for the election.
In a turn of events however, Aiyelabegan, the NNPP decided to oull.out of the petition he earlier filed and both himself and his party who were listed as applicants in court on April 7, 2023 tokd tge court that they would no longer continue with the petition.
Before striking out the petition the court had said; “The Applicants were dissatisfied with the results as announced by the 1st Respondent INEC which declared the 2nd Respondent Saliu Mustapha winner of the said election and have presented a Petition against the Respondents before this Honourable Tribunal.
The Petitioners, upon intervention by elders in the community, have decided to withdraw their petition against the Respondents. The Respondents will not be prejudiced by the grant of this application,” .
Respondents in the petition were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mallam Saliu Mustapha, now a Senator-Elect.