Governor dedicates victory to God

    Chioma Onuegbu – Uyo

THE Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Thursday upheld the re-election of  Governor Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP.)

Emmanuel

The tribunal had on September 10, adopted the final addresses from the petitioners and respondents involved in the case.

Delivering the judgement, the three-man panel led by Justice A.M Yakubu, however, dismissed Obong Nsima Ekere’s petition for lack of merit.

Ekere and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had on May 29  challenged the result of the March 9 elections., citing non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Emmanuel as the winner of the election after recording the highest number of votes in the poll.

However, the petitioners had claimed that the PDP candidate did not record a majority of lawful votes in the poll

The petitioners prayed for the following reliefs::

(1) That the tribunal should declare that the 1st Respondent, Mr Udom Emmanuel did not secure and could not have secured the majority of lawful votes cast at the elections;

2) That the election was void and invalid due to non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2015,

3) That the election being invalid by reason of non-compliance was null and void;

4) The tribunal should order a fresh governorship election in Akwa Ibom except in Etim Ekpo and Essien Udim where elections were held in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act, 2015 (sic).

The tribunal noted that the petitioners failed to call witnesses in eight out of the 21 local government areas where they claimed to have won. the election.s.

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Meanwhile, the governor has dedicated his victory at the tribunal to God and the good people of the state.