Edo State’s Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Benin, on Friday, June 26, 2015 declared the election of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Yakubu Gowon, who had been declared victorious of the Saturday, April 11, 2015 lawmakers poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission, representing Etsako West II constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly, null and void.
The presiding judge, Justice E. Abuua’s verdict was that the APC candidate was unduly nominated by his party.
The tribunal pointed out that the APC’s notice of intention to hold party primaries, was sent to the INEC in less than the mandatory 21 days notice.
It was gathered that the notice was sent to INEC on Thursday, November 13, 2015, while the primaries were done on Monday, December 1, 2014.
Therefore, the tribunal decided that all the votes cast for the APC candidate were a waste and that the Peoples Democratic Party aspirant, Sylvanus Eriagha, was the rightful person to be give a certificate if return as a lawmaker, having won 4,001 votes as the next runner up.
However, Godwin Erhahon, Publicity Secretary of the APC’s Edo State Chapter, stated that all candidates of the party were not nominated unduly.
He added that the party’s legal team would look into the judgement.
