The Court of Appeal in Ibadan has firmly dismissed an appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) challenging the outcome of the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo Federal Constituency by-election held in August 2025, affirming the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hon. Adesola Elegbeji.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, the appellate court not only threw out the appeal but also awarded costs of ₦5 million against the SDP and in favour of Hon. Elegbeji.
The court’s decision followed preliminary objections raised by the APC’s legal team, which argued that the SDP failed to transmit a complete record of appeal, specifically omitting the pre-hearing report of the Election Petition Tribunal. This omission, the respondents contended, rendered the appeal incompetent and deprived the court of jurisdiction.
Counsel for Hon. Elegbeji, Mrs. Olayemi Badewole, SAN, and the APC’s lawyer, Dr. Remi Olatubora, SAN, successfully urged the court to decline hearing the appeal due to the incomplete filing. The SDP’s counsel, Mr. Adewole Adebayo, offered no explanation for the missing document.
This ruling adds a final legal seal to a case that had previously been struck out by the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Ibadan last November for lack of diligent prosecution. At that time, the petitioner’s witness repeatedly failed to appear, leading to the tribunal’s dismissal.
With this appellate court verdict, the election of Hon. Adesola Elegbeji as the representative for the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo Federal Constituency is conclusively upheld, leaving the APC’s victory undisturbed.
