Posted by By GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka on
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka on Thursday nullified and voided the April 14 governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra State .
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka on Thursday nullified and voided the April 14 governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra State .
The Justice James Abiriyi- led five-man tribunal in a unanimous judgment held that the said election, which produced Dr. Andy Uba, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate as winner, was illegal, unconstitutional and an abuse of the 1999 constitution.
Delivering judgment in the petitions of other candidates and political parties in the election against INEC and Uba, the tribunal adopted whole and the entire judgment of the Supreme Court on June 14, 2007, which held that there was no vacancy in the office of Governor of Anambra State at the period INEC conducted the said polls.
It further held that the declaration and swearing-in of Uba as governor were all null and void as 'all actions taken after the said governorship election conducted on April 14, 2007 are therefore illegal, unconstitutional, null and void."
The tribunal queried the benefits INEC had gained by wasting the time and resources of the people in conducting an election it knew was unlawful.
The tribunal judgment was a fallout of the sitting which it summoned all the parties in the case to analyse the judgment of the Supreme Court, to find out in the light of the development whether it was still necessary to go on with hearing of the petitions on the guber polls, and after taking submissions from the counsels to the parties nullified the election.
But reacting to the judgment, INEC counsel, Chief Amaechi Nwiwu (SAN), dismissed it, alleging that the tribunal crossed its boundaries.
'The tribunal went into areas not clearly pronounced in the Supreme Court judgment. It was not for the tribunal to void anything. We were here to decide whether it was still okay to continue with the petitions in light of the Supreme Court judgment. The panel ought to have simply said that it was not necessary to continue, but not to start voiding anything," he stated.
Corroborating him, Uba counsel, Chief Nobis Elendu, described the judgment as perverse and unacceptable, adding that he was going to the Court of Appeal to challenge it.
But Dr. Chris Ngige's counsel, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), said it is a victory for democracy, adding that it had shown that AC did not challenge the election in vain.
He also said that by the judgment no body would by 2010 come up with any phony idea that he won election in 2007 and should now become governor. 'It shows that by 2010 there will be fresh elections here in this state".
For the Deputy Governorship candidate of All Nigerian People Party (ANPP), Chief Rowland Odegbo, the judgment is a welcome one which had put a stop to stealing of people mandate.
'This judgment will advance the interest of democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria. We are already consulting with our lawyers; we must sue INEC for damages.
'They did not only waste people's resources, but also forced the poor voters of this state to go through the sham called April 14 election," he added.