The Election Petition Tribunal in Oyo State has dismissed an application filed by Adebayo Adelabu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress asking to recount votes in the March 9 election.
Naija News understands that Adelabu and his party are challenging the declaration of Seyi Makinde, governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, by the Independent National Electoral Commission as the Governor-elect of the state.
Adelabu through his Counsel, Mr Titus Asaolu, SAN, had filed an application seeking to recount all the ballot papers used in the March 9 election. 
In his ruling today, the three-man panel, chaired by Justice Sirajo Muhammed, dismissed the application, adding that it would jeopardize the respondents’ right to a fair hearing.
According to Mohammed, the petitioners were only challenging the result of a few Local Government Areas in the conduct of the governorship election and not all the 33 LGs of the state.
The judge said that filling an application now to count all the ballot papers used in the election would amount to amending the petitioners’ pleadings.
He said that the time allowed to amend pleadings of all parties has elapsed and no pleadings can be amended at this stage.
Mohammed said that the petitioners were also not consistent on the date the election was conducted as they were quoting different dates in their application.
The judge then dismissed the application and fixed June 10 to commence the hearing, adding that pre-hearing has ended.
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