The Kogi East Senatorial Election Tribunal, situated in Lokoja, has invalidated the election victory of Senator Jibrin Isah, also known as Echocho, who serves as the Senate Committee Chairman on Customs Excise and Tariffs. This decision stems from the cancellation of the election results in 94 polling units within the district,Daily Trust reports.
Consequently, Justice K.A. Orjiako, the chairperson of the Tribunal, has instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize a supplementary election in these 94 affected polling units within the district.
Dr. Victor Adoji, the candidate representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presented his case through his legal representative, Mr. Johnson Usman (SAN). Adoji’s challenge was based on the assertion that the elections were nullified in certain polling units, where the number of collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) exceeded the margin of victory.
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The petitioner, Adoji, implored the tribunal to nullify Senator Isah’s election and called for a supplementary election in the aforementioned 94 polling units within the senatorial district.
In a unanimous decision, Justice K.A. Orjiako concurred with the arguments put forth by the petitioner’s counsel, Mr. Usman (SAN), and invalidated Isah’s electoral triumph. As a result, Isah’s certificate of return was also revoked.
Justice Orjiako, in his ruling, declared, “Since the PVCs collected in the 94 polling units amount to 59,730, whereas the margin of victory is 26,922 votes, the Returning Officer should have declared the election inconclusive instead of making a return. Consequently, this honorable tribunal hereby grants the reliefs requested by the petitioners. We also nullify the Certificate of Return issued to Jibrin Isah. The tribunal hereby orders INEC to conduct a supplementary election in the affected polling units where the election did not occur or was canceled to determine the winner.”
