The Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has adjourned proceedings until Thursday, September 24, after the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, declined a request by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to relocate the tribunal from Ado-Ekiti.
Proceedings were stalled on Wednesday after counsel to the SDP, Ebenezer Akinbuli, failed to appear before the three-member tribunal and instead sought another adjournment pending a decision on the request to move the sitting to another location.
The request was reportedly based on alleged security concerns following an earlier incident involving the SDP counsel.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, told the parties that the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dongban-Mensem, had declined to order the transfer of the tribunal, adding that the panel remained properly constituted and competent to continue hearing the petitions in Ado-Ekiti.
Counsel representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabir Akingbolu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bunmi Ipinlaiye, however, told the tribunal that they were unaware of the decision of the Court of Appeal.
The decision was said to have been served through the secretary of the tribunal.
In view of the uncertainty surrounding the communication, Justice Kutigi adjourned proceedings until September 24 to allow the matter to be clarified and for hearing to continue.
Speaking with journalists after the sitting, Akingbolu said the request for relocation was made by the SDP in connection with its petition and did not extend to the separate petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA).
He also maintained that the latest adjournment was initiated by the petitioners, saying letters had been submitted seeking the postponement of proceedings in both election petitions.
Akingbolu questioned the basis of the petitions challenging Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s victory in the June 20, 2026 governorship election, pointing to the margin and spread of the governor’s victory.
According to him, Oyebanji won all 16 local government areas and secured victory in most of the 177 wards across the state.
He further alleged that repeated applications for adjournments and other procedural requests were delaying consideration of the substantive issues before the tribunal.
“There is confusion, so we need to clarify it,” Akingbolu said, explaining that the SDP and AA had filed separate petitions.
He said the SDP had previously written to the tribunal, citing security concerns and requesting that the venue be moved to Abuja or another location.
“As it is today, they are secure. They are the ones that sought the adjournment,” he said.
The development is the latest in a series of delays affecting the hearing of the petitions challenging the outcome of the Ekiti governorship election.
The tribunal had earlier adjourned proceedings from September 16 to September 23 to enable the President of the Court of Appeal to consider the relocation request.
That application followed allegations of an assault on Akinbuli and claims that some witnesses were experiencing difficulties attending the proceedings.
The substantive hearing of the election petitions began on September 8, with proceedings initially expected to continue on a day-to-day basis.
With the relocation request now declined, the tribunal is expected to resume proceedings in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, September 24.
