The Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Calabar has sacked a member of the Cross River State House of Assembly for Abi State Constituency, Dr. David Etta, of the Peoples Democratic Party and ordered a rerun.
Chairman of Panel Two of the tribunal, Justice A. A. Babawale declared the election of Etta null and void while ruling on a petition by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Iwara Inah in the election.
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Inah had in his petition alleged electoral malpractices, non-compliance with the 2010 electoral guidelines by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the conduct of the election on March 9, 2019.
According to her, votes in fifteen polling units numbering 10,400 votes which were cancelled could decide if victory could go one way or the other among the candidates.
Justice Babawale ordered “a rerun to be conducted in the fifteen polling units within 90 days,” and called for the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return given to the PDP candidate.
Former governor of the state Senator Liyel Imoke is from the Abi State Constituency and a PDP stalwart. [PUNCH]
