Ogun House of Reps bye-election Fraught With Over Voting, Violence, PDP Witnesses Tell Tribunal

ABEOKUTA – Witnesses have narrated to the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Ibadan, Oyo State how the August 16 by-election into Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal constituency in Ogun State was allegedly marred by over voting, violence, intimidation and vote-buying.

The witnesses, presented by the Peoples Democratic Party, told the three-member panel, led by Justice A M Yakubu that the disturbances occurred across several polling units in the Remo Federal Constituency.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mrs Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji, as the winner of the by-election.

The electoral commission declared that Ayoola-Elegbeji secured victory across the three local government areas of Sagamu, Ikenne and Remo North.

According to INEC, Ayoola-Elegbeji secured 41,237 votes against her closest rival, Bola Oluwole of the Peoples Democratic Party, who recorded 14,324 votes, while the candidate of the African Democratic Congress scored 289 votes.

But the PDP dragged INEC, APC and Ayoola-Elegbeji before the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal challenging the outcome of the election.

PDP alleged that elections were disrupted in 448 polling units out of 557 polling units.

The party among other things prayed the Tribunal to nullify the election, an order setting aside the certificate of return issued by the first respondent (INEC) to the second respondent (Ayoola-Elegbeji).

The party also prayed the panel to direct the first respondent to conduct a fresh by-election for the House of Representative, Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency.

Counsel to PDP, Olumuyiwa Obanewa listed 49 witnesses to prove its case.

The witnesses were cross-examined by counsels to the respondents: Olutayo Ayeni (INEC), Taiwo Osinpitan (APC candidate) and Remi Olatubora (APC).

The witnesses also spoke to INEC reports tendered to the Tribunal which confirmed that the election was marred by violence.

Led in evidence by Obanewa, the first witness, Osho Babatunde, a resident of Oderwa, Arewa, Ode 1 in Remo North Local Government Area of the state alleged that hoodlums loyal to APC stormed multiple polling units, disrupted voting and chased voters away.

Babatunde further alleged that the attackers freely moved around the polling areas without resistance from security operatives.

“I did not vote at the election because thugs belonging to APC stormed my polling unit and chased everyone away. I ran for my safety because of what happened and I was not around for about 30 minutes. I ran away and hanged around and later I saw some people voting,” Babatunde said.

Another witness, Bolanle Jimoh, a resident of Ode-Remo claimed that vote-buying was carried out openly by agents of APC, explaining that some voters were approached with cash and instructed to display their ballot papers to confirm compliance.

According to her, the tense atmosphere caused some residents to leave the polling stations without voting.

Jimoh, a PDP polling agent alleged that APC thugs came to her unit and disrupted the election.

While being cross-examined, Jimoh said, “I know that they were APC thugs because they came with cards in hands and asked for PDP voters to leave the polling unit, so I ran away and by the time I ran away I did not know what happened in the polling unit.

“Before I ran away voting had commenced in the unit, but the thugs disrupted the voting process. By the time I came back to the polling unit, voting was completed and the result declared.

“The APC won but I do not see the result. Some of the ballot papers were thumb printed by thugs,” Jimoh alleged.

Another witness, Tunde Oduga told the Tribunal that similar incidents occurred in other parts of the constituency.

He noted that the level of disruption was severe enough to affect the credibility of the final results declared by INEC.

Oduga alleged that he was attacked by APC thugs who took away his mobile phone.

“When the thugs came with guns, they collected our cell phones from us and chased us away from the polling unit,” Oduga said.

Giving evidence, another witness, Olumide Odueso alleged that APC thugs invaded his polling unit and ordered all non APC members to leave.

“When the thugs came they ordered all those that were not for the APC to leave the unit, and I was afar seeing them thumb printing the ballot papers; and when I came back and asked the INEC staff and the officer said the voting was completed and I peep through the result and saw that there was over voting,” Odueso said.

Closing his case, counsel to PDP, Obanewa urged the Tribunal to act on the evidence of the witnesses and grant all the prayers of the petitioners.

Responding, counsels to the respondents, urged the Tribunal to adjourn till 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th of December for all the respondents to take their witnesses.

Justice Yakubu adjourned to the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th of December, 2025 for all the respondents to take their witnesses and close their respective cases.