Yusuf Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has been engaged by the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, to lead the legal team that will challenge the victory of Kayode Fayemi, the Ekiti Governor-Elect at the state’s election tribunal.
Ali disclosed that he has agreed to lead the team of lawyers that will argue at the tribunal in favour of Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, the PDP candidate, who lost the July 14 governorship election.
But the Kwara lawyer said he would need to have more robust discussions with his clients to understand the thrust of their appeal in disputing the Ekiti governorship election result.
Ali said, “I have just been contacted to represent the PDP (at the tribunal). The (legal) team is just being put together; so, I don’t know the number of SANs and other lawyers that will work with me yet because it is the client that will determine who they want to bring on board”, he told the Punch.
“On the grounds of the petition, I was just briefed (to take up the matter); we would need to engage in further discussions before I will know exactly what is involved.”
The PDP’s Eleka, who polled lesser votes than the winner, has vowed to challenge the final result of the election.
Eleka, who is the outgoing Ekiti Deputy Governor, polled 178,121 votes as against 197,459 votes won by Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The three-man panel expected to hear the appeal of the PDP Candidate at Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal was constituted two weeks before the election by Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, the President of the Court of Appeal.
