By David Odama

THENational and State Houses of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia Tuesday granted Abdullahi Agwai, Nasarawa South Senatorial Candidate of Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM)  permission to inspect electoral materials used in the February 23 election. 

Electoral officers returning materials issued to them by INEC at South-South Zonal Store after the Rivers Legislative Rerun Election in Port Harcourt on Saturday

The PDM candidate had approached the tribunal challenging the victory of Governor Umaru Tanko  Al-Makura as the Senator-elect of the Nasarawa south senatorial zone following his omission and the party logo from the election.

Ruling over the ‘Motion Exparte’, Chairman of the Tribunal,  David Igor having listened to the motion, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to avail the candidate access to all the materials used in the election.

Earlier,  Counsel to the petitioner, Christian  Wanche appealed to the Tribunal to compel INEC to allow their client access to all the election materials to prove or otherwise the party was excluded from the election.

The Tribunal has also granted permission to Inusa Ibrahim, Nasarawa North Senatorial Candidate of PDM,  Emmanuel Abari, Zenith Labour Party House of Representative Candidate of Awe/Doma/Keana Federal Constituency permission to inspect materials.

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Meanwhile, the Egbira  National  Development Association(ENDA), has advocated for the re-election of the incumbent Speaker, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi for the second term to lead the sixth Assembly considering his leadership qualities.

The President of the group, Alhaji Gani Shafa made the call Tuesday when they paid a courtesy call on the speaker in Lafia.

The group said that their visit was to congratulate the speaker on his re-election as a member representing Umaisha/ Ugya constituency and to appreciate him for bringing the much-needed dividends of democracy to the people of the constituency and the state at large.

“Your leadership qualities have brought about the good working relationship between the executive and the legislature in the state. Our prayer is for you to retain your position as speaker for the second term so as to lead the forthcoming sixth assembly in order to take the state to the next level of development,” he said.

Responding, the Speaker thanked them for the visit and their role his re-election as a member representing Umaisha/Ugya constituency.

Abdullahi who assured the Egbira community of his continued loyalty and support emphasized the need for Egbira community to love and tolerate one another irrespective of their religious and political affiliation.

The speaker assured them of better days ahead especially with the re-election of President Buhari and the emergency of Engr.Abdullahi Sule as governor of Nasarawa State.