AL-HAU24news

BY MIJINYAWA BABA-AGAIE MINNA

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered to withdraw the certificate of return issued to the Joshua Audu Gana of the People Democratic party (PDP),as the winner of the February 25 National Assembly Election.

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal also ordered that the Independent Electoral Commission to set aside the election of the respondent and ordered for a rerun in twenty polling units of the three Federal Constituency.

Joshua Gana was declared winner of the February 25 National Assembly Election to represent Edati, Lavun and Mokwa Federal Constituency.

The Chief of staff to the Governor of Niger State Usman Abdullahi Gbatamagi of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who contested along with Joshua Gana lost out to the respondent and he approached the tribunal requesting that he should be returned as the rightful winner of the election.

Gbatamagi claimed that the respondent lost in some of the polling units across the three federal Constituency of Edati Lavun and Mokwa as the election in those polling units were characterized with irregularities and other Electoral malpractices requesting the tribunal to upturn the election and return him as the rightful winner of the election.

While reviewing all the submission of the both counsel to both the petitioner and the respondents,the tribunal expurged some of the evidences and admmited all the exhibits related to the Conduct of the February 25 National Assembly Election in Edati Lavun and Mokwa Federal Constituency.

The Tribunal after painstakingly Inreviewing all the evidences, exhibits and witnesses that testified Justice Mohammed Rashid submitted that all the evidences tendered before the Tribunal were convicing enough.

He then submitted further that the tribunal were convinced with the testimonies of the counsel to the petitioner with the exhibits and evidences availed in the Tribunal were proved beyond every reasonable doubt.

Justice Mohammed Rashid a member two of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in a unnanymous Judgement gave the order that the INEC should immediately withdraw the certificate of return issued the respondent without further delayed

Justice Rashid also ordered the Conduct of the rerun in the twenty three affected polling units within the next ninety days and equally ordered the election to set aside the election accordingly.

In an interview with Journalists shortly after the Judgement,the defence counsel to the petitioner Barrister Philip Adah of JJ Usman Chamber described the Judgement as a well researched Judgment .

He said the tribunal has really proved that the petitioner was able to established that all the evidences and submission tendered before the tribunal were convincing evidences ” and based on our evidences Judgement was delivered in the favour of our client we thank the jurists for a well deserved verdict in our favour”