The tribunal dismissed the petition filed against the electoral victory of Amosun by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Gboyega Na­sir Isiaka for want of evi­dence. The three-man tribunal headed by Justice Henry Olusiyi held that the peti­tioners, Isiaka lacked evi­dence to support his allega­tion of massive rigging and electoral malpractices in the April 11th 2015 election. The Peoples Democrat­ic Party (PDP) governor­ship candidate at the poll, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka had on April 30 filed his petition ‘EPT/GOV/ABK/001/15,’ before the tribunal, chal­lenging the victory of Amosun, who contested as the All Progressives Con­gress (APC) governorship candidate. Isiaka had alleged that the votes credited to Amosun by the Indepen­dent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in nine out of the 20 local gov­ernments of the state were mared with fraud, mal­practices, ballot snatching, ballot stuffing and outright rigging and as such, invalid to secure him any victory at the poll. He further alleged that the election was char­acterized by substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. Isiaka in the petition however, prayed the court to declare him as the win­ner of the election having scored the highest number of valid votes cast at the governorship election. But delivering judgment amidst tight security yes­terday in Abeokuta, Chair­man of the tree-man tribu­nal, Justice Henry Olusiyi held that the claims of the petitioner were largely unsubstantiated and the proofs grossly insufficient to support his allegations. He further stated that the responsibility of proving the invalidity of the votes credited to Amosun which rested on the petitioner was not properly discharged. Justice Olusiyi further said that the principal wit­nesses of the petitioners only made averments with­out evidence. The tribunal chairman ruled that the petitioners failed to prove their case either on balance of proba­bility or beyond reasonable doubt. “Averments without ev­idence is deemed to have been abandoned. Pleadings do not constitute or tanta­mount to evidence,” he said while citing relevant sec­tions of the Evidence Act. He noted that although the petitioners alleged sev­eral irregularities in nine local government areas of the state, they led oral ev­idence only in 12 polling units. “The petition filed by the petitioner on the 30th of April is hereby dismissed. The election of the respon­dent (Amosun) is hereby affirmed,”]]>