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Tag: Election Petition Tribunal

  • Headache for LP as Tribunal fires 3 HoR members , orders rerun

    Headache for LP as Tribunal fires 3 HoR members , orders rerun

    The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia North local government area, the Abia State capital, on Monday sacked three House of Representatives members elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).

    A panel of the tribunal led by Justice Adeyinka Aderebgbe, sacked the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal constituency Mr. Ibe Okwara Osunwa, for non-compliance with the electoral act 2022, in a petition filled by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC ) in the election, Chief Daniel Okeke.

    The tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Osunwa and issue a new one to Okeke.

    Another panel led by Justice Hajaratu Hajjo Lawa nullified the election of Munachim Alozie, representing Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency.

    The court also ordered for a rerun within the next 90 days according to the constitution.

    The tribunal noted that the LP candidate was declared winner in error and therefore cannot stand.

    Reading out the judgement, Prof. Muhammad Mahmud on behalf of the three-man panel headed by Lawal, said the number of lead of the LP candidate was more than the number of voters who were disenfranchised in some polling units that collected their Permanent Voters Cards.

    The candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Ibe Michael Nwoke, had approached the court after the declaration of Alozie as winner of the February 25th elections demanding its nullification.

    Nwoke prayed the court to among other things nullify the election of LP’s Alozie as he was not duly elected and his election invalid based on the margin of lead.

    While counsel to YPP’s candidate adjudged the ruling as fair, the LP’s counsel insists on appealing the case.

    Another panel of tribunal nullified the election of the member representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency Mr Emeka Nnamani, for certificate forgery.

    The tribunal declared the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) in the election Chief Alex Ikwueche as the winner of the election and ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Nnamani and Issue a new one to Ikwecheghi.

  • Leaked audio: PDP, APC bicker over Zamfara Election Petition Tribunal

    Leaked audio: PDP, APC bicker over Zamfara Election Petition Tribunal

    The Peoples  Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara has raised concern that the All Progressives Congress (APC) allegedly planned to influence in its favour the awaited outcome of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Sokoto.

    The Acting Chairman of the PDP in Zamfara, Alhaji Mukhtar Lugga, raised the concern while addressing reporters in Gusau on Tuesday.

    Lugga, who doubles as the Chief of Staff, Zamfara Government House, alleged that the APC’s plan to make the state ungovernable for the ruling party was leaked to the PDP by an APC member and an online journalist in the state.

    “The state APC has been blackmailing all the activities of the ruling party in the state. The APC does not want peace to reign in the state,“  he alleged.

    “The party in a widely circulated leaked audio recording, by the  its supporter, who is managing director of an online TV station, openly boasted how he was contacted by a former governor of the state, ” Lugga claimed.

    According to him, the former governor in question had reportedly contracted the journalist to bribe and influence members of the state House of Assembly to commence an impeachment proceedings against Gov. Dauda Lawal.

    “In the same vein, the audio clip revealed that its author made damning allegations against the justices presiding over the state election petition tribunal.

    “The journalist claimed that the justices had been induced to rule in APC’s favour the petition it filed against the PDP’s  Gov. Dauda Lawal’s election,” Lugga said.

    The Acting PDP Chairman appealed to the security forces to investigate the author of leaked audio and ensure justice was served on whoever is found culpable.

    In a swift reaction, however, the Zamfara APC Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Yusuf Idris, said that PDP’s allegation was  a grand plot using an old friend to Gov. Lawal and a journalist to tarnish the good image of the APC in the state.

    Idris, in a statement issued to reporters late Tuesday, alleged that the said journalist in the concocted audio openly said he was a friend to the Gov. Lawal.

    According to him, it remains a public knowledge that Gov. Lawal single handedly financed the online media owner to achieve his various political missions when former Gov. Bello Matawalle was the Chief Executive of the state.

    “It is also on record that the operational vehicles of the medium were donated by Lawal and even the office accommodation that houses the medium is owned by Lawal and not any APC official.

    “It should be made categorically clear that the journalist and online media owner is neither a card carrying member nor a good supporter of the APC in the state.

    “He has never held a political office under the APC government and thus he couldn’t in anyway speak for or on behalf of the APC in Zamfara.

    “It is our strong believe, however, that having observed  the tribunal processes sent jitters to the PDP, hence it’s resorting to blackmail and name calling using a journalist,” Idris said.

    Idris urged all relevant security forces to uncover those behind the video and bring them to book.

    “The PDP failed to understand that the judiciary is an independent body and that no amount of intimidation or abuse will deter it from doing justice to all Nigerian citizens, irrespective of religious or political affiliation,” Idris noted.

    He, however, urged APC supporters in the state to remain calm “as we have confident in the Nigeria judiciary and that justice will be served to us and we are hoping to reclaim our stolen mandate,” Idris said.

    Recalled that a leaked audio recording went viral on Aug. 25 with the journalist claiming a former governor of Zamfara had contracted him to deliver N180 million (in hard currency) to members of the state House of Assembly, as bribe, to impeach Gov. Lawal.

    The said journalist also claimed in the audio that the judgment of the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Sokoto had been influenced to favour the Zamfara APC.

  • Kaduna gov’ship election: Ashiru seeks court’s approval to extract information from BVAS 

    Kaduna gov’ship election: Ashiru seeks court’s approval to extract information from BVAS 

    As the tribunal petition marked EPT/KD/Gov/4/23 continued in Kaduna, the PDP gubernatorial candidate at the March 18, 2023 election, Hon. Isa Ashiru has sought the approval of the tribunal to allow him extract information from the BVAS machines used at the last guber polls.

    This is just as 105 Bimodal Voters’ Accreditation System (BVAS) machine were sighted at the court during the proceedings which were part of exhibits to be tendered by the 1st and 2nd petitioners; Isa Ashiru and PDP respectively at the next adjourned date.

    The petitioners had also at the resumed hearing of its petition on Thursday presented another witness, Bako Moses Duniya to testify against the election processes that produced the incumbent governor of Kaduna state, Dr. Uba Sani.

    Mr. Duniya who is a Data analyst with Micro Focus Nigeria Limited swore to an oath before the court that three polling units results in respect to Makera ward of Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state were manipulated in favour of the APC.

    The witness who adopted his deposition as his evidence before the court further explained that multilation were done on the original results sheets in respect to polling unit 018, 001, 002 in Makera ward respectively.

    Mr. Duniya who was the forth witness to be called by the petitioners demostrated the said exhibits in a graphical format using plasma Television to butteres his point before the court of the alleged election malpractices, just as he equally disclosed that he interracted with 88 BVAS machine at the INEC office in Kaduna.

    Though, during the cross examination, the witness explained that he did not capture the BVAS machines that were bypassed in his deposition.

    However, before the exhibits were admitted by the Justice Victor Oviawe led panel, the counsels to the 1st (INEC), 2nd ( Uba Sani) and 3rd (APC) respondents respectively objected to the admissibility of the exhibits tendered by the petitioners before the court.

    The counsel to INEC, Alhassan Umar, during the cross examination told the court that the witness is not an expert in stastistics, and therefore his methodology, if failed could make his conclusion ineffective.

    The argument of the 1st respondent counsel followed the claim of the witness who said: ” in many cases, magic biro or pencil were used to change election results”.

    Meanwhile, the counsel to the respondents, upon objecting to the admissibility of the documents, said that they shall be given their reasons in their final written addresses.

    The court adjourned the case to Monday, July 2023 for further cross examine other witnesses.

     

  • We’ll discharge our duty without fear, favour – Election Tribunal

    We’ll discharge our duty without fear, favour – Election Tribunal

    Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, Chairman of Election Petition Tribunal in Calabar, has given assurance that the tribunal was prepared to discharge its duties without any fear of favour.

    Adeniyi said this on Wednesday during the inaugural sitting of the tribunal in Calabar.
    He said that the tribunal would ensure that judgement was delivered in favour of the real winners of the just concluded National and House of Assembly elections in the state.

    The Chairman, who spoke in company of other two panel of judges including; Justice Z. U. Modibbo (Member 1) and Justice Eva Okoronkwo (Member 11), sued for cooperation of all parties involved in the tribunal.

    Adeniyi stated that the tribunal was not a battle ground, stressing that all the tribunal needed was the cooperation of all to enable the tribunal discharge its duties to the best of its ability.

    “The tribunal is not a battle ground and we shall proceed seamlessly and without delay.
    “We shall discharge our duties to the best of our abilities and always remain mindful of the oath we took.

    “We assure all litigants of a fair trial and we will not entertain any form of interference from any quarter.
    “We shall report any attempt to interfere with the tribunal to the security agencies,” he said.

    The chairman stated that the tribunal was conscious of time and sought the cooperation of the bar and bench in the discharge of their assignment.

    Also speaking, Mr Attah Ochinke, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Cross River branch,
    said that his members would exhibit high professional conduct throughout the period of court proceedings.