……as PDP loses one House of Reps, five State Assembly’s seat
Femi Oloye, Abeokuta
The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital today, Friday set aside, the electoral victory of Prince Buruji Kashamu as the winner of the Ogun East Senatorial election held March 28th this year.
The Tribunal also nullified the electoral victory of House of reps
PDP also suffered another defeat at the State House of Assembly petition where it has five of the nine seats it won were overturned, but managed to retain four.
In nulifying Kashamu’s electoral victory, the Tribunal cited Section 140 (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) saying that the result of the election were mared with substantial irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The Tribunal, headed by Justice Tobi Ebiowei ordered that a fresh election be conducted in 110 Polling Units across Ogun East Senatorial District having establish cases of irregularities as well as Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
The Tribunal upheld as valid votes, 146, 533 vote cast out of after it had cancelled the result of 37, 008 votes cast at March 28th National Assembly election conducted in Ogun East Senatorial district.
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The Tribunal further ruled that out of 146, 533 valid vote cast, Kashamu pulled 75, 856 votes while his challenger, Dapo Abiodun scored 70, 677 votes.
Reading the decision of the Tribunal, the Chairman, Justice Tobi Ebiowei explained that the Tribunal found it “very uncomfortable” to cancel the entire result of Ogun East Senatorial contest because of mere 37, 008 invalid votes.
He equally explained that the total number of 5, 179 votes with which Kashamu is leading was not substantial enough to declare him winner of the contest.
The Tribunal however, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh election in 110 Polling Units of Ogun East Senatorial District within the next 90 days.
Also delivering judgment in respect of the Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency, the tribunal held that case of irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act was established against the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Adekoya and ordered a re-run of the election within the next 90 days.
Earlier, the PDP had suffered loss of five seats out of the nine State Assembly seats it won in the April 11th general election.
The affected state Constituencies are: Ijebu – Ode, Ipokia, Ijebu North 1, Egbado North II as well as Ijebu East state constituencies having established “substantial irregularities” and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) in some of the polling units of the affected areas.
