Tribunal upholds elections of Benue Deputy Speaker, others

With the final five election petitions decided, Panel One of the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi has finished its mandate.

The panel, presided over by Justice Ory Zik-Ikeorha, carefully rendered their decisions in each of the petitions at hand. The panel also featured Justice Usman Mohammed as Member 1 and the Honourable Justice Saliu Zubayr as Member 2.

On Thursday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and Deputy Speaker of the Benue State Assembly, Hon. Danladi Lamin, was declared the winner.

Petitioners Hon. Agnes Uloko and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disputed Lamin’s eligibility to run for office and claimed electoral irregularities.

Unfortunately for the petitioners, the tribunal found in favour of Lamin and stated that they had not provided sufficient evidence to support their accusations.

The win of APC candidate Hon. Agada Awuchi in this year’s election for the Ogbadibo State Constituency was also confirmed by the tribunal. Justice Usman Mohammed, who wrote the majority opinion, stressed that Hon. Patrick Enemari and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had not shown enough proof of election malpractices. Petitioners were fined N150,000 and forced to cover the respondents’ (Awuchi, APC, and INEC) legal fees.

Attorney C. N. Patrick, who represents Awuchi, said he was pleased with the tribunal’s judgement and that the petitioners’ lack of testimony rendered their submission of papers insufficient.

The suit filed by Arch Eric Adokwu and the APC against PDP candidate Hon. Ochekliye Isaac for the Ohimini State Constituency was likewise thrown out by the tribunal for lack of merit. Similarly, Kyan State Constituency Hon. Terkimbi Adeiyongu of the PDP lost his petition against Kyan State Constituency Hon. Emmanuel Shimawua of the APC and INEC. And in the Mata State Constituency, PDP’s Arch Elijah Anayagher was unsuccessful in his petition against Simon Gabo, the APC, and INEC.

All petitioners save those involved in the Mata State Constituency case were ordered to pay N150,000 in expenses to the respondents.