Tribunal Critiques Action Alliance for Inaction in Ekiti Case

The three-member panel of the Election Tribunal in Ekiti, chaired by Justice Abubakar Kutigi, expressed discontent with the Action Alliance (AA) for its inadequate pursuit of its election petition following the June 20, 2026 governorship election. The AA failed to present any witnesses for the third time, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) successfully brought six witnesses to testify about the election's conduct.

Both the AA and SDP are contesting the election results that declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the first respondent and Oyebanji as the second. Justice Kutigi criticized the AA's counsel, Ebenezer Akinbuli, for not being prepared and suggested that if the AA was uninterested, they should withdraw their case.

Akinbuli requested another adjournment to locate witnesses, which the tribunal granted, scheduling the next hearing for Monday, September 28.