Tribunal Sacks Kogi Senator, Orders Supplementary Election

The Kogi East Senatorial Election Tribunal sitting in Lokoja has sacked Senator Jibrin Isah, (Echocho), the Senate Committee Chairman on Customs Excise and Tariffs, cancelling the election in 94 polling units in the district.

Consequently, the chairman of the Tribunal , Justice K.A. Orjiako, ordered Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a supplementary election in the affected 94 polling units in the district.

Dr Victor Adoji, Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through his Counsel, Mr Johnson Usman (SAN), had challenged the return of Senator Isah on the ground that the elections were cancelled in some polling units where the PVCs collected were more than the margin of win.

The petitioner (Adoji) had pleaded with the tribunal to annul the election of Senator Isah and ordered for a supplementary election in the affected 94 polling units in the senatorial district.

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In a unanimous judgement, Justice K.A. Orjiako agreed with the submission of the petitioner’s counsel (Usman SAN) and annulled Isah’s victory, including withdrawal of his certificate of return to that effect.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Orjiako declared in his ruling: “Since the PVCs collected in the 94 polling units is 59,730, while the margin of win is 26,922 votes, the Returning Officer ought to have declared the election inconclusive without making a return.

“Consequently, this honourable tribunal hereby granted the reliefs sought by the petitioners. We also set aside the Certificate of Return issued to Jibrin Isah.

“The tribunal hereby also orders INEC to conduct a supplementary election in the affected polling units where election did not hold or was cancelled in order to determine the winner,” he added.