The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, this afternoon declared null and void, the electoral victory of Alex Egbona, elected in the last general election to represent Yakurr/Abi Federal Constituency in Nigeria’s House of Representatives.
In the case, EPT/CAL/HR/11/2019, the petitioner, John Gaul Lebo, immediate past Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had faulted the declaration of Egbona by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as winner of the Abi/Yakurr House of Reps seat.
Ruling, the tribunal after listening to legal representations from the two contenders, declared based on evidence that all the votes gathered in the election by Egbona are all lawful votes but of no consequence as they did not follow duly laid down Electoral processes. The Tribunal also said, once a candidate is legitimately disqualified, his votes cannot in anyway qualify him again.
Recall that just before the election in contention, INEC delisted all All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates in Cross River State, in an action that INEC maintains was in obedience to a court order.
More details shortly…