The Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the June 20, 2026, governorship election in Ekiti State, Dr Oluwole Oluyede, has formally withdrawn the petition he filed before the election petition tribunal to challenge the re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress.
Consequently, the tribunal, at its first sitting in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, struck out the petition in line with the petitioner’s wish.
Oluyede had filed a motion of withdrawal of the petition before the three-member panel of judges comprising Justices Abubakar Idris Kutigi, Aminu Tukur and Maurice Okediya.
His counsel, Mr Paul Komolafe, who also represented the PDP at the tribunal sitting, moved the motion to withdraw the petition, following which the tribunal chairman, Justice Kutigi, struck it out.
Counsel for Oyebanji and the APC, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr Sulaiman Ibrahim, did not oppose the motion of the petitioners (Oluyede and PDP) to withdraw their petition from the tribunal.
