The national and state assembly petition tribunal sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital has upheld the election of senator Kola Balogun of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing the people of Oyo South senatorial district.

---

Also, the three man panel upheld the victory of senator Fatai Buhari, of the All Progressive Congress representing the Oyo North senatorial district as challenged by Hon. Mulikat Akande Adeola of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Correspondent Kunle Ojo reports that justice Anthony Akpovi who delivered the judgment in the petition filed by the immediate past governor of the state, Abiola Ajimobi, failed to prove the allegation of irregularities, non-compliance and corruption in the February 23rd election beyond a reasonable doubt.

The panel also held that all evidence relating to the issue of card readers without inviting the maker of the machines for evidence cannot hold water stressing that the petitioner's focus on card reader without a corresponding relationship with the voters' register was defective.

Furthermore, the tribunal stated that Ajimobi also failed to convinced the court on how all the allegations against the respondents affected the results and outcome of the election.

The panel, therefore, upheld the victory of Senator Kola Balogun of the All Progressive Congress and dismissed the petition filed by the former governor, Abiola Ajimobi on the ground of lack of credible evidence to buttress his case.

The outcome of the judgment led to wild jubilation within and outside the court by leaders and members of the ruling People's Democratic Party in Oyo state.

Reacting to the judgment, one of the counsels to Senator Kola Balogun, lauded the efforts of the panel stating that the outcome revealed the aspiration of the good people of Oyo state.

In another development, the national and state assembly petition tribunal has also dismissed the petition of Mulikat Adeola Akande against the victory of senator Fatai Buhari on the ground that the petitioner failed to prove her case.