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Court dismisses NNPP’s petition against Ondo North senator-elect, Ipinsigba

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The Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal on Monday dismissed a petition filed by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) against the Ondo North Senatorial District Senator-elect, Pastor Jide Ipinsigba.

This followed the withdrawal of the petition by the party.

Ipinsigba, who represented the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 25 National Assembly election, defeated his NNPP candidate, Dr. Olusegun Phillips-Alonge, and 16 others to win the district’s senatorial seat.

However, Phillips-Alonge approached the tribunal to nullify the election following the omission of the party’s logo from the ballot papers sent to the state for the election.

The NNPP’s counsel, Segun Ogodo, had in an application told the tribunal of his client’s intention to discontinue the petition.

He said: “The party which is NNPP that I’m representing has shown interest to withdraw the petition against the respondents, Pastor Ipinsigba, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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“The second petitioner, Mr. Phillip Alonge, earlier on also brought an application to discontinue the petition but he had no appearance in court today and the petition literarily appears to be abandoned.

“If the second petitioner does not appear in person in court at the next adjourned date, the court has the discretion to do what it likes and it may strike out the petition.”

In her ruling, the tribunal chairman, Mrs. Rose Soji, said: “The motion on notice filed by the first petitioner, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) praying the tribunal to withdraw the petition is granted as prayed.

“The petition is hereby dismissed.”

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