Akintoye vs Gboluga: Appeal Court rules in favour of PDP Rep member -

The Appeal Court on Thursday upturned the judgment of the Election Petition Tribunal, which nullified the election of Ikengboju Gboluga of Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency of Ondo State over his citizenship status.

The appellate court ruled that the tribunal was wrong to have sacked Gboluga, a Nigerian citizen by birth based on his acquisition of additional citizenship and swearing oath of allegiance of such country.

DAILY POST had reported how Gboluga was sacked by the Election Petition tribunal on July 31 for acquiring the citizenship status of the United Kingdom, with Albert Akintoye of the All Progressives Congress, APC, declared as the winner of the election conducted on February 23, 2019.

But in a unanimous judgment by the trio of Appeal Court Justices, the court ruled that a Nigerian citizen by birth cannot be disqualified from contesting election because he acquired additional citizenship of other countries and sworn an oath of allegiance of such countries.

The Court subsequently set aside the judgment of the tribunal and upheld the election of Gboluga as duly elected representative of the good people of Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.

The Court also awarded the sum of N2 million cost against Akintoye, which it ordered must be paid before October 1, 2019.