The National Assembly and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja yesterday quashed the petition brought before it by candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) Alhaji Abubakar Bashir against the wimet of that August 11, 2018 election to the Lokoja / Kogi / Kotokarfe federal constituency.
The Petitioner sought among other reliefs, nullification of the election, as he claimed that the election would have been declared inconclusive and another election conducted.
In the petition with file number EPT/ HR / KGS /1/2018, filed by Alhaji Abubakar Bashir against the outcome of August 11, 2018 re – run election to the Lokoja / Kogi / Kotokarfe federal constituency to replace the vacuum created by the demise of Hon Buba Jibrin sought for the nullification of the election for lack of transparency and irregularities.
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The Petitioner amongst other reliefs sought the nullification of the election due to irregularities flagrant non-compliant with the guidelines and that INEC should have conducted a re – run in 17 polling units among others.
The Tribunal chaired by Justice Ibrahim Jauro, held that all the relief sought by the petitioner lacked merit.
The Tribunal noted that the Petitioner did not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the election was marred by substantial irregularities or that the candidate was not validly elected.
The judgement of the three member tribunal which sat at the premises of the Federal High Court Lokoja, pointed out that “the evidence brought before the tribunal after careful observation were not substantive enough to invalidate the outcome of the election and therefore the election of August 11, 2018 was valid”.
Reacting to the judgement, Counsel to INEC, Johnson Usman stated that the industry put in the matter which took almost three hours to separate the grain from the chaff has been very important to the legal practitioner and those who might turn law and logic upside down.
