The National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, yesterday, sacked the deputy Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly, Chris Adaji, as winner of the 2019 Ohimini State Constituency election. Consequently, the tribunal has ordered a rerun in affected areas of the exercise.

Adaji of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was dragged to the tribunal by Musa Alechenu Ohimini of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on account that he did not win with the required number of votes as stated in the electoral guideline. Delivering judgment on the matter, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice R. O. Odudu, ruled that the margin with which Adaji led the APC candidate was less than the number of votes cancelled.

Earlier, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Adaji winner with 397 votes but the tribunal found that the margin was less than the 1,056 votes cancelled in the two polling units of Igbanomaje and Odega. The tribunal therefore held that, INEC ought not to have made the final declaration without ordering for a rerun in the affected polling units, adding that the electoral body should have declared the poll inconclusive.

The tribunal, therefore, issued an order for the withdrawal of certificate of return issued to Adaji and directed INEC to conduct rerun election in the two polling units where elections were cancelled within 90 days. Meanwhile, the election petitions tribunal sitting in Sokoto, yesterday, dismissed the petitions filed against the election of members representing Sabon Birni South II and Sokoto South II constituencies in the state assembly.

The candidate of the PDP for Sabon Birni South II constituency poll, Adamu Gado Gatawa, filed the petition challenging the election of Sa’idu Neno Ibrahim of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Similarly, the APC candidate for Sokoto South II Constituency election, Aminu Garba Gidadawa, filed a petition against the election Mohammed Malami Ahmed of PDP.

In his petition, Gatawa claimed that Ibrahim was not qualified to contest in the March 9, 2019, election, alleging that he did not have the requisite secondary school education. Delivering judgment, Justice Hamman Idi Polycap said the petition lacked merit. Similarly, Justice I. Iwodi, who delivered judgement on Aminu Garba Gidadawa’s petition against the election Mohammed Malami Ahmed, dismissed it for lack of merit.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/tribunal-benue-deputy-speaker-sacked-as-pdp-apc-lose-in-sokoto.html