An Appeal Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the entire election which
produced Mr. Udom Emmanuel as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, South South
Nigeria.
In a lead judgment on the parallel appeal filed by the respondent and
candidate of the ruling APC, Chief Umana Umana to the first appeal by
Governor Emmanuel of the opposition PDP, JusticeAdedotun Adefope Friday,
ruled that the State’s Election Petition Tribunal was wrong in its refusal
to comply with the section 179 (2) of the Constitution.
The Appellate court held that it agreed with the evidence of the parallel
appellant’s principal witnesses; video evidence with respect to the
misconduct at by the State’s collation agents.
Giving the lapses, Justice Adefope held that the tribunal should have
ruled that there was no collation; that votes were arbitrarily allocated
to the PDP candidate – the incumbent Governor Emmanuel, who was the
respondent in the cross appeal.
It would be recalled that the lower Tribunal about two months ago, ruled
that the results of the 18 out 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom be
canceled and subsequently ordered for a rerun in the affected areas.
The ruling was not satisfactory to both the petitioner (APC candidate) and
respondent Governor Emmanuel at the lower Court, prompting the first
appeal by the PDP candidate and a cross appeal by Umana, the APC
candidate.
The Appellate Court maintained that the lower Tribunal was wrong in
canceling only 18 out of the entire LGA’s of the State. Justice Adefope
consequently nullified the entire election in the 31 local government of
the State
Following the ruling, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
Earlier, the Appeal Court, ruling on the appeal filed by Governor Emmanuel
upheld the ruling of the lower Tribunal in its ruling which nullified
election results in the 18 LGAs.