By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Sam Oyadongha (Yenagoa); Jimitota Onoyume (Warri); Egufe Yafugborhi (Uyo); Chioma Onuegbu (Uyo); Emem Idio (Yenagoa); Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City); and Daniel Abia (Port Harcourt)
Former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger-Delta, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, who petitioned the winner of the February 25 National Assembly elections in Delta North senatorial district, Delta State, Senator Ned Nwoko, lost out at the National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Asaba.
The tribunal upheld the election of Senator Nwoko of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after it dismissed the petitions of Nwaoboshi, All Progressives Congress, APC, and the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Ken Kanma, for lacking merit.
However, Nwaoboshi, the APC senatorial candidate in the said poll, has decided to challenge the judgment that upheld Senator Nwoko’s election and has since directed his lawyers to proceed to the Court of Appeal.
Two APC senators – Senator Joel Thomas-Onowakpor, and Senator Ede Dafione, who represent the Delta South and Central senatorial districts, rejected the judgments of the NASS tribunal. Their lawyers were concluding their appeals within the allowed 60-day window as of the time of this report.
Chair of the NASS tribunal for Delta South senatorial district in Asaba, Justice Catherine Ogunsola, in the petition filed by Evangelist Michael Diden, aka Ejele, of PDP, against Senator Onowakpor, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a re-run election in Warri South Local Government Area within 90 days.
The tribunal also instructed INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return earlier given to Senator Onowakpor.
In the Delta Central senatorial district, the chairman of the NASS Elections Petitions Tribunal for the area, Justice W.I Kpochi, ordered a rerun election in 41 polling units and also asked the INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return given to Senator Dafinone.The PDP candidate, Senator Ighoyota Amori, and his party were already warming up for the re-run as the tribunal ordered.
Rejecting the judgment, Dafinone said: “The National Assembly Petition Tribunal sitting at Asaba today nullified my return as the winner of the Delta Central senatorial election and ordered a supplementary election within 90 days in only 23 polling units out of the 2,180 units in the district.
“While I respect the tribunal, I do not accept its decision, and therefore, I have directed my legal team to appeal the judgment. As I promised during our campaign…we shall defend the mandate the people of Delta Central gave to us.”
The member representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Udu Federal Constituency, APC’s Hon Francis Waive, who also lost to PDP’s Solomon Awhinawhi declared winner of by the tribunal, expressed “shock and dismay” at the judgment, and has headed for appeal.
In Delta Central, the re-run election will be held in the 23 polling units in the district across Sapele, Okpe, Udu, and Ughelli North local government areas, and the Warri South local government area will be the battleground in the Delta-South.
The tribunal nullified Waive’s election on the grounds of improper documentation and declared Awhinawhi the winner.
Waive said: “Let me state clearly as I did before the tribunal with documented evidence that I did submit all required documents, including my qualifications as required by INEC.
“The non-publication of the same on the INEC portal is not my making or within my power to effect. Moreover, I did write INEC on this.”
Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, for the federal constituency, Mr. Dickson Ebegbare, in a petition brought to the tribunal, challenged the declaration of Jonathan Ukodhiko of the PDP as the winner of the polls by the INEC.
Ukodhiko, in his reaction, said: “To my supporters, I have been informed of the verdict of the National Assembly Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, Delta State, and I want to state here that this is not the time to argue or throw political tantrums at anyone as a result of the tribunal verdict because unquestionably, we are Isoko first before party and personal interests.”
In the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal constituency, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja reaffirmed the election of the member representing the constituency, Mr. Ngozi Okolie.
The tribunal had earlier nullified the election of Okolie of the Labour Party and declared the candidate of the PDP, Hon. Ndidi Elumelu, the winner of the polls.
APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Valentine Onojeghuo noted: “The familiar string of decisions by the various tribunals in the state against the candidates of the party creates the impression that there is a grand conspiracy to use judicial subterfuge to hijack our hard-won victory, and mandate at the polls through the instrumentality of the election petitions panels.”
Waste of time
The Chairman of the Labour Party, LP, in Rivers State, Dienye Pepple, said his party should not waste resources contesting the tribunal’s judgment.
He said: “Going to the Supreme Court is a waste of time and energy. We do not have sufficient facts and evidence to present before the court because the outgone national chair, Abure, refused to release the money to pay the polling agents.
“Polling agents are like foot soldiers. Since the agents were not paid, there is no way we could have presented any evidence before the tribunal. The elections were rigged, and the court does not deal on sentiment but facts, and we do not have enough of such facts.”
Agbedi, Olomu lock horns
Litigants filed 31 petitions at the Bayelsa Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State.
As at last Friday, the tribunal was yet to conclude and deliver judgments in all the petitions brought before it.
The PDP, which had a roller coaster, sweeping the NASS polls, but a ranking member of the House of Representatives, Fred Agbedi, representing the Sagbama-Ekeremor Federal Constituency was star-crossed at the end of the tribunal’s sitting.
The tribunal nullified the Februray 25 election in his constituency, and ordered a supplementary election in 21 polling units in wards three, four, five, and 11 in Sagbama Local Government Area, and six polling units in ward 12 of Ekeremor local government area.
He said: “The PDP family should remain calm, I want my supporters to remain calm.For me as the party’s flagbearer, I am ready for the supplementary election, there is no appeal, and that is my personal decision. They said it is 26,000 votes; we will go and harvest them.”
His APC opponent, Hon. Michael Olomu is ready to lock horns with him.
However, a former member of the House of Representatives, Israel Sunny-Goli, accepted the tribunal’s verdict that upheld Marie Ebikake as the winner of Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency seat.
Hon. Israel Sunny-Goli also congratulated the PDP candidate, Ebikake, and declined the pressure to seek to appeal the judgment.
According to him: ”After thoughtfully assessing the recent judgment of the Election Petition Tribunal, delivered on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, which upheld the victory of my opponent in the House of Representatives election for the Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency, Marie Ebikake.”
Convince
The National/State Assembly Election Tribunals in Edo did not upturn any of the results declared by INEC, as all the petitioners either failed to prove their cases or did not file appropriately.
For instance, in Edo North senatorial district, the tribunal upheld the victory of former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, as the duly elected senator representing the district.
It also upheld the victory of the former deputy majority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Peter Apatason, whose victory the candidatess of PDP, Kabiru Adjoto, and LP’s Omobayo Marvelous challenged.
In Edo South, the tribunal upheld the election of Senator Neda Imasuen of the LP. The APC and PDP candidates, Valentine Asuen and Hon Matthew Iduoriyekenmwen questioned his victory. Omosede Igbinedion of the PDP could not stop APC’s Hon Dennis Idahosa election as the member representing Ovia Federal Constituency. So also the member representing Egor/Ikpoba- Okha federal constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Murphy Osaro Omoruyi, who triumphed over Hon Crosby Eribo of the APC, and Henry Okhuarobo of the PDP.
In most cases, the losers have declared that they would challenge the outcome in the appellate court, while the winners have praised the judiciary.
Only the LP is House of Representatives Candidate for Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency, Marvelous Omobayo has said that he would not challenge his loss at the appellate court.His words: “Going forward, my party, and many supporters wanted me to go on appeal. I weighed all the options and l decided that it would not be in any one’s interest to do that.”
“More so, Hon. Akpatason called me immediately after the tribunal’s judgement to chat with me. I thought that was honourable enough irrespective of any other reason. I got good votes from his ward and from his party.”
Dismiss
So far, in Akwa Ibom State, the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Uyo has delivered judgements, dismissing three petitions filed by APC candidates against PDP members.
They include petitions filed by Hon. Eseme Eyiboh (APC) for Eket/Esit Eket/Onna/ Ibeno federal constituency against Okpolupm Etteh PDP; and Mr. Emaeyak Ukpong of APC against election of Aniekan Bassey of the PDP for Akwa Ibom Northeast (Uyo) senatorial seat.
In addition, the NASS tribunal upheld the victory of Martins Esin for the Oron federal constituency seat hotly challenged by Robinson Edumoh of the APC.
Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal is yet to deliver judgement on the six pending petitions before it challenging the declaration of Pastor Umo Eno as the duly elected governor of the state.
Frustrate
In Cross River State, the National Assembly Petition Tribunal headed by Justice Sambo dismissed a petition by former Cross River State governor, Senator Ben Ayade, to return to the Senate to represent Cross River North Senatorial district.
The panel ruled in favour of Senator Jarigbe Agom as the winner.
The panel also sacked the member representing Biase/Akamkpa federal constituency, Mr Emil Inyang of APC, and declared the PDP candidate the winner
Victor Abang of APC was affirmed the winner of the Ikom/Boki federal constituency over Mr Attah Ochinke of the PDP by the tribunal.
Eteng Wliliam was affirmed winner of the Cross River Central district race over his compatriot, Mr Bassey Ewa, while in the House of Representatives position for Yala/ Ogoja federal constituency, it declared Mr Godwin Offiono as the winner over his opponent, Mr. Jude Ngaji of APC.
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