- The National Assembly Election Petitions
Tribunal sitting in Ikeja on Friday upheld the victory
of the Majority Leader of the House of
Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The tribunal held that Gbajabiamila of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) validly won the March
28 election for Surulere Federal Constituency I in
Lagos State.
The three-man tribunal led by Justice C.U. Anwuka
resolved all issues raised in favour of the
respondent.
The tribunal consequently dismissed the petition
filed by the Peoples Democratic Party candidate,
Tony Ashikodi, for failing to prove the allegations of
electoral fraud.
Also read: Plot to endorse Gbajabiamila as
Speaker foiled
Ashikodi had petitioned the tribunal challenging the
outcome of the election.
Ashikodi had alleged that he observed some
irregularities during the election which contravened
the provisions of the Independent National
Electoral Commission’s approved guidelines.
He urged the court to void the election and order a
fresh election to be conducted by INEC.
The petitioner had alleged that “the final figures in
Form EC 8 C (i) were cancelled and altered with a
view to declaring Gbajabiamila the winner of the
election.”
He claimed that the 14 351 received by the APC
candidate was “whimsically changed’’ to 21 715
while 16 079 earlier recorded for petitioner was
changed to 14 550.
However in the judgment, the tribunal said
Ashikodi failed to substantiate his allegations that
ballot boxes were snatched and result sheets
falsified by INEC.
The judges noted that the petitioner failed to call a
single witness to substantiate his claims.
They said Ashikodi, in his evidence-in-chief,
admitted that he was not present at the collation
centre and did not tender any document to back his
allegations of multiple irregularities.
The tribunal also faulted the claim of the
petitioner’s counsel, Kalu Onuah, that the election
did not comply with Section 139 of the Electoral Act
and therefore dismissed the petition.
- NAN
- NAN
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