… Nullifies Abia North Senate Poll, Orders Rerun
SAN FRANCISCO, December 10, (THEWILL) – A Senator and two members of the House of Representatives from Rivers State have been sacked from the National Assembly.
This is as the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja Thursday quashed the election of Senator George Thompsom Sekibo, representing Rivers East Senatorial District.
Ruling in an appeal filed by Andrew Ibonule Uchendu and the All Progressives Party (APC), the appellate court upheld the appeal and upturned the decision of the Rivers State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, which sat in Abuja earlier in the year.
The tribunal presided by Justice Muazu Pindiga had held that the APC candidate failed to prove his case that election did not hold as alleged.
But in a ruling Thursday, the Appeal Court held that it was for the respondents – Sekibo, his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC – who claimed that election actually held, to lead evidence to prove that election held in compliance with the Electoral Act.
The appellate court, in the appeal marked: CA/A/EPT/626/2015, therefore ordered that fresh election be held in the senatorial district.
The court also nullified the elections of Kingsley Ogundu Chindah and Blessing Nsiegbe (PDP) representing Obio/Akpo Federal Constituency and Port-Harcourt 2 Federal Constituency of Rivers State.
The appeals, marked CA/A/EPT/624/2015 and CA/A/EPT/625, in respect of which the two judgments were given respectively, were filed by Anthony Chinedu Okocha and Collins Owhondah of the APC.
Ruling on the appeals, presiding judge, Justice Ali Gumel, who led the three man panel, upheld the appeal filed for the apellants by their lawyer, B. E. I. Nwofor (SAN).
Also, the Owerri, Imo State Division of the Court of Appeal Thursday annulled the election of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa’s election in Abia North Senatorial election and ordered a rerun within 90 days.
Ohuabunwa is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
