|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu, on Monday dismissed the petition brought before it by Candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Juliet Ibekaku against the election of Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP representing Enugu West Senatorial Zone.
Barrister Ibekaku, a former aide to President Muhammadu Buhari had approached the Tribunal after the election with allegations that Ekweremadu was not duly elected by majority of valid votes cast during the February 23 National Assembly election.
She also claimed that the election was invalid for non-compliance with the Electoral Act and the INEC guidelines, adding that the obvious non-compliance substantially affected the conduct of the election, massive thumb-printing of ballot papers to the advantage of Ekweremadu and his party, the PDP.
Dome TV Nigeria reports that the three-man tribunal chaired by Haruna Kereng while delivering the over three hours judgement held that the former Deputy Senate President was elected with lawful valid votes cast during the elections under contention.
The petitioner, Ibekaku asked for an order “setting aside the return of Ekweremadu and an order to (INEC) to issue her (Ibekaku) with Certificate of Return, or in the alternative order for a fresh election.”
The APC candidate maintained that there were evident irregularities, infractions by the INEC, inflation of votes in some polling units, alterations, non-dating and wrong-dating of result sheets, and massive thumb-printing of ballot papers in favour of candidate of the People Democratic Party, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his party, the PDP.
However, all the Respondents opposed her claims, insisting that Senator Ekweremadu emerged by virtue of majority of lawful votes cast in the February 23 election.
According to them, there were substantial compliance in accordance with the Electoral Act, and ruled out any irregularities that could have substantially affected the conduct of the election.
Hon. Justice H.H Kerang while delivering judgement, the tribunal held that there was an inconsistency in the pleadings of the petitioners.
It said each of the 16 witnesses called by the petitioners could not tell the tribunal number of votes to be credited in any single polling unit to the petitioner or a single vote to be deducted from that of the respondents.
While dismissing the petition the tribunal affirmed that Senator Ike Ekweremadu was duly elected in the senatorial election conducted on February 23 2019 adding that the petition failed to prove that they were corrupt practices during the election and therefore declared the election as valid and returned Ekweremadu as duly elected.
