Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Saraki Dahiru-Maiyama has lost his House of Representatives seat to that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Joseph Kigbu.
The constituency in contention is Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency.
The PDP candidate had challenged the victory of APC candidate at the National and State Assemblies Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa capital.
Delivering the judgment in the case today in Lafia, Chairman of the tribunal, Peter Oboira, declared Kigbu as winner of the March 28 election.
Oboira declared the re-run election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on April 18 as illegal.
He said: “The cancellation of results and subsequent conduct of a re-run election in Chiroma Electoral Ward by INEC was unlawful and I thereby annul same.
“The declaration of Dahiru-Maiyama of APC as the winner of the election after the conduct of the re-run was also illegal and I hereby annul same.”
Oboira, therefore, declared Kigbu as the real winner of the election even as he ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return from Dahiru-Maiyama and immediately issue same to Kigbu.
The tribunal similarly upheld the election of Aga Moluku of the PDP, member representing Nassarawa-Eggon East in the House of Assembly.
The election of Moluku was challenged by Ibrahim Danladi of APC, alleging irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral act.
The tribunal dismissed Danladi’s petition for lack of merit and his inability to prove the allegation of irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral act during the conduct of the election.
In the same vein, the tribunal also upheld the election of Luka Zhekaba of the PDP, Member Representing Obi II in the House of Assembly, in a petition filed by Amos Agya of the APC.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the tribunal awarded N50,000 as cost against Danladi and Agya for their failed petitions. [myad]
Advertisement
