LG Poll: Tribunal Declares PDP’s Gbenga Obalowo As Ibarapa East Chairman

The Oyo State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal set up to hear issues regarding the May 22nd/2021 Local Government election in Oyo state has declared Hon. Gbenga Obalowo of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, the winner of the LG poll in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of the state.

The Five-Man Election Petition Tribunal, chaired by Hon. Justice M.O Ishola, stated late on Friday that there was no substantive cause to nullify the local government election held in Ibarapa East, as asked by Mr Masolanu Adeolu of the Labour Party, in a two-hour judgment.


The petition presented by Mr Masolanu Adeolu of the Labour Party was dismissed in its entirety by the Ibadan tribunal for lack of credibility and merit.


All of the reliefs sought by the petitioner could not be granted, according to the Tribunal, because he failed to prove claims of malpractices beyond a reasonable doubt.

Justice M.O Ishola said that the petitioner Masolanu Adeolu was only able to bring witnesses from 10 of the 126 polling units in the Ibarapa East local government.

This, he stressed, was not enough basis and grounds to declare the Local Government Election in the area null and void.

Justice Ishola also declared that the 2nd respondent, the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), was able to prove that the election was held in all polling units except three polling units, which was insufficient reasons to declare the election null and void.




The Chairman of Ibarapa East Local Government, Hon Gbenga Obalowo, stated shortly after the petition was dismissed that the LG Election Petition Tribunal’s decision was a win for all the good people of the Local Government.



Hon Obalowo said the Tribunal has further affirmed and authenticated the mandate given to him on the 22nd of May, 2021 by the electorate in Ibarapa East Local Government.



He thanked the whole PDP family in Oyo State and Ibarapa East Local Government, as well as other political functionaries in the area, for their support and confidence in him to serve as the Chairman of the Local Government.



Hon Gbenga Obalowo urged all unhappy people of Ibarapa East Local Government, particularly members of the opposition political party, to join hands with him in bringing the Local Council to enviable heights.