The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti has admitted the pre-hearing reports as adopted by parties before it in the petition arising from the governorship election held on June 20, 2026 in Ekiti State.
The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi, at the sitting held on Thursday said the three-member panel had taken the report as adopted by parties in the case to pave way for commencement of hearing on Monday, September 14.
The pre-hearing reports were filed by Social Democratic Party, SDP, and its governorship candidate, Isaac Adebayo Alade, who are the 1st and 2nd petitioners and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Governor Biodun Oyebanji who are the 1st and 2nd Respondents in the case with petition number EPT/EK/GOV/02/2026.
The tribunal also received the pre-hearing reports filed by Action Alliance, AA, and its governorship candidate, Matthew Olu Omotoso; who are the 1st and 2nd petitioners as well as INEC and Governor Oyebanji who are the 1st and 2nd Respondents in the case with Petition Number EPT/EK/GOV/03/2026.
The Thursday’s sitting formally brought an end to pre-hearing formalities at the tribunal with parties now expected to prepare for the full trial of the petition filed by both SDP and AA which scored 179 votes and 126 votes respectively at the June governorship poll.
The three-member jury which also includes Justice Justice Aminu Tukur and Justice Maurice Okediya also admitted the pre-hearing reports submitted by INEC and Governor Oyebanji through their legal teams.
Counsels to parties in the two petitions told the panel that they had read the pre-hearing reports exchanged among themselves and that the reports reflected all the issues they had all agreed on to drive the course of the proceedings before the tribunal.
Counsel to SDP and AA in the two petitions, Paul Ayantoyinbo, and counsel to INEC, Bunmi Ogunsakin, told the panel that they had been served with the pre-hearing reports which contained all issues agreed by parties in line with the Practice Direction.
Also, counsel to Oyebanji in the two petitions, Kabir Akingbolu, also told the panel that he had been served with the pre-hearing reports which reflected issues agreed by parties to allow for commencement of hearing.
Akingbolu, however, said the governor’s legal team had filed issues for determination before the tribunal which was dated September 7 with lawyers to other parties in the case admitting that they had been served.
INEC counsel, Ogunsakin, also told the tribunal that she had filed a Motion on Notice also dated September which had been served on other parties in the petitions.
The tribunal chairman, Justice Kutigi, who emphasized the readiness of the panel to give expeditious hearing to the petitions within the time allowed by law urged petitioners’ counsel, Ayantoyinbo, to ensure that witnesses were brought to the tribunal on Monday in order not to give room for any delay.
Justice Kutigi stressed that the petition had been filed in July with hearing commencing in September with the two months interval enough to assemble witnesses needed to facilitate hearing of the governorship case.
The tribunal chief further told parties that all applications served would be addressed at the adoption of addresses by parties in the petition.
He subsequently adjourned the sitting of the tribunal to 9.00 a.m. on Monday, September 14, for hearing of the petition in which the SDP and its governorship candidate are expected to open their case.
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