The Edo State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin, has declared the councillorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Nakis Alasa, the winner of the Owan East Local Government Area election held on April 20.

The tribunal chairman, Justice D.  Okugbowa, consequently ordered Chairman of Edo State Independent Electoral Commissioner, EDSIEC, Mr. Solomon Ogor, to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, candidate in ward 3, Ihieve, Owan East council, Mr. Abass Oserei and issued a fresh certificate of returns to the PDP candidate, Mr. Alasa.

In their unanimous judgment read by a member of the tribunal, Justice Omonuwa, the tribunal held that the PDP candidate, Nakis, was the winner of the election, having scored the highest number of lawful votes of 732 in the said  election to ACN’s 718 votes.

According to the tribunal,  EDSIEC retuning officer for the ward, Pastor Okaka, lacked the authority to cancel an election result, where a winner had been initially announced and declared to announce another candidate.

The purported action of the returning officer, the court held, amounted to declaring two candidates the winners of the same election.

Earlier, lead counsel to the petitioner, Mr. Tunde Oisamoje, had urged the tribunal to declare that the PDP candidate, Alasa, was winner of the election, having been initially announced and declared as winner by the returning officer, who later cancelled the election result on the premise of wrong calculation of figures to announce the ACN candidate as winner.