All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) are counting their gains and loses at the governorship and legislative tribunals in states.
The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Jos yesterday declared Simon Lalong as the duly elected Senator to represent Plateau South Senatorial District.
Lalong, former governor of Plateau and Minister of Labour and Employment, ran on the platform of the APC.
In Abia State, the tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the state capital, declared the election of Labour Party’s Munachim Alozie invalid. He was declared winner of Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency.
Also, the tribunal in Asaba, capital of Delta State, nullified the election of the member representing Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Rev. Francis Waive. He ran on APC ticket.
In Plateau State, the tribunal sitting in Jos, the state capital, dismissed the petition filed by Alfred Dabwan of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) against Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the PDP.
LP candidates victory upheld in Abia
The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State capital, upheld the victory of LP candidate in Isiala Ngwa North and South Constituency, Ginger Onwusibe.
The panel also dismissed the petition filed by the PDP candidate, Chief Anthony Agbazuere, his APC counterpart, Chijoke Ikpo, against Onwusibe.
The INEC had declared Onwusibe winner after polling 20,411 votes to defeat Agbazuere, who scored 13,508 votes and the APC candidate who polled 2976 votes.
Agbazuere had prayed the tribunal to disqualify the respondent for not resigning officially from the PDP before joining the LP.
He also told the court that INEC was not given any notice, 30 days before the party congress, where the respondent was picked as the LP candidate.
The respondent, through his counsel, Mr Okite Okite, argued that what the petitioners brought to the tribunal were pre-election matters that had already been decided in the favour of his client at the Supreme Court.
In a unanimous judgment, the panel, led by Justice Hajaratu Hajjo Lawal, ruled that the tribunal lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The campaign director of the respondent, Mr Onwere Nmesirionye, hailed the judgment, saying it was the true reflection of the will of his constituents.
Tribunal orders rerun in Abia
The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, declared the election in Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency null and void.
The court also ordered for a rerun within the next 90 days according to the constitution.
The tribunal, led by Justice Lawal, noted in a judgment delivered by a panel member, Prof. Muhammad Mahmud, that the LP candidate was declared in error and therefore, his victory cannot stand.
The candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Ibe Michael Nwoke, had prayed the court to nullify the election of LP’s Alozie as he was not duly elected and his election invalid based on the margin of lead.
Also, the tribunal sitting in Umuahia North Local Government Area sacked three LP House of Representatives members.
A panel of the tribunal led by Justice Adeyinka Aderegbe, sacked the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Constituency, Mr. Ibe Okwara Osunwa, for non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The tribunal ordered the INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Osunwa and issue a new one to Okeke.
Lalong wins:
The tribunal held that the votes scored by Lalong’s opponent, Napoleon Bali of PDP were wasted votes because he was invalidly nominated.
The Plateau APC congratulated Lalong for his triumph at the tribunal presided over by Justice B. M .Tukur.
The chapter, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Sylvanus Namang, agreed with the tribunal that PDP ought not to have participated in the last Plateau South senatorial poll because it lacked a validly recognised legal structure.
It added: “We also want to applaud justices O. Elekwa and O. A. Adetujoye, who also concurred with the lead judgment. The judgment, we believe, is a clear roadmap to better days ahead for the APC in the state in the remaining Plateau Tribunal judgments.”
Mutfwang triumphs:
The tribunal dismissed the petition by Dabwan of NNPP against Mutfwang. The NNPP candidate had complained against unlawful exclusion of his party’s logo by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the ballot.
Mutfwang hailed the verdict in his favour, saying that the Justice A. Y. Joh-led tribunal judgment validated the will of the people.
He said: “We give thanks to God Almighty, the ultimate judge. We were confident in the outcome of this election, which was clearly in our favour. We commend the judiciary for upholding the voters’ choice.”
Mutfwang said the ruling was a victory for democracy and the people of Plateau State.
He said: “We are approaching the conclusion of these cases, and while one more governorship petition remains, we remain hopeful and confident it will also be resolved in our favour. We look forward to closing this chapter and focusing on the task of governance.”
The tribunal also declared Fom Dalyop Chollom of the (LP), an engineer, winner of the National Assembly election for Barkin Ladi Riyom Federal Constituency.
Fom had challenged the victory of Peter Gyenden of the PDP on the ground that he was not validly nominated.
Wombo’s victory affirmed:
The National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi, Benue State, has upheld the election of Solomon Wombo of AD in the KatSina-Ala/Ukum/Logo Federal Constituency.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice Ory’zik Ikeorha, said the petitioners, Richard Gbande, and the PDP, failed to prove their case.
Justice Ikeorha said 17 of the 19 witnesses called by the petitioner filed their written addresses out of time.
She said while some of the paragraphs of the petition were complaints on polling units, many others were generic and without basis.
Justice Ikeorha said: “The reliefs sought are hereby refused, the petition stands dismissed in entirety, no order of cost.”
INEC had declared Wombo as winner of the election with 59,939 votes while Gbande came second with 39,414 votes.
Akpatason, Iyawe survive:
The National/House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Benin, Edo State affirmed the re-election of the House of Representatives member from Akoko-Edo Constituency, Peter Akpatason, of the APC.
The petition by LP’s Omobayo Marvellous Godwin, was dismissed by Justice Yusuf Mohammed.
The tribunal also dismissed the petition of APC’s Osaro Osazee against the election of LP’s Esosa Iyawe, the representative of Oredo Constituency in the House of Representatives, for lacking merit.
Delivering the unanimous judgment, Justice K.A. Leweanya held that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the petition because it was a pre-election matter.
He said the qualification of Iyawe ought to have been challenged at the Federal High Court
APC, PDP candidates sacked in Delta
In Asaba, the tribunal nullified the election of the member representing Ughelli/Udu Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rev. Francis Waive.
The PDP candidate, Chief Solomon Awhinawhi, had challenged the declaration of Waive of the APC as winner.
Waive’s election was nullified on grounds of improper documentation and declared Awhinawhi winner.
The tribunal ordered a re-run at Enwhe Ward 09, Isoko South Local Government Area in Isoko Federal Constituency,
The candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Dickson Ebegbare, had challenged the declaration of Jonathan Ukodhiko of the PDP as winner.
Ebegbare argued that Ukodhiko was not duly elected by lawful votes, insisting that elections did not hold in Enhwe.
The tribunal held that INEC ought to have conducted a rerun in Enhwe .
Justice R O Odogo, who delivered the judgment in Kano, declared that APC’s petition was incompetent, adding that the burden of proof was not discharged.
He said: “We find no merit in this petition and accordingly, it is hereby dismissed. We affirmed the declaration of Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as the winner of the Kano South Senatorial District election, held on 25th Feb. 2023.”
The tribunal awarded N200,000 cost against respondent.
The election of another Kano NNPP House of Representatives member, Idris Dankawu, was voided.
Dankawu, according to the tribunal forged his West African School Certificate, (WAEC) when he contested the election in Kumbotso Constituency.
The petitioner, Munir Babba Danagudi, had alleged that the respondent forged the Secondary School Certificate to secure admission into Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, Kaduna State.
Justice I.P Chima, who delivered the judgment, agreed with the petitioner and voided the respondent’s victory while directing INEC to set aside the Certificate of Return issued to him and declare Danagudi the winner.
Oborevwori goes to Supreme Court
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has filed a Notice of Appeal at the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which ordered the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to hear on merit, the petition filed by the LP candidate, Ken Pela, challenging his election.
Oborevwori, in the Notice of Appeal filed by his lead counsel, Mr. Damian Dodo (SAN), stated that the appellate court erred in making an order for a retrial in the LP’s petition.
A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice M L Shuaibu, had in a judgment delivered on August 31, faulted the decision of the tribunal to dismiss the case of the petitioners on claims that the petition was abandoned because the petitioners’ application for pre-hearing session was not properly filed.
The appellate court ordered that the petition be taken back to the tribunal for hearing within the time stipulated in the Electoral Act.
Dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, the governor filed a Notice of Appeal at the Supreme Court where he is seeking an order of the court allowing the appeal.
He also asked the court to set aside the judgment of the Appeal Court and affirmed the decision of the tribunal delivered on July 6.
