The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State has affirmed the election of a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Bamidele Salam. Mr Salam, who won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, Ejigbo Federal constituency of Osun State in the lower chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
The appellate court upheld his victory in the February 23 poll in a unanimous decision of three justices read by Justice Muhammed Danjuma on Friday in the Ondo State capital. It quashed the decision of the Election Petitions Tribunal delivered on September 2 which ordered a fresh election in 12 polling units of the constituency.
Salam’s victory was challenged by Adejare Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who secured the initial victory at the Tribunal which sat in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. The appellate court, however, ruled that the Tribunal erred in law when it held that there was over-voting in the affected polling units which necessitated a supplementary election to decide a winner.
