Posted by By TONY OSAUZO, Benin on
Edo state second election petition tribunal ,headed by Justice Beatrice Iliya, yesterday upheld the election of the Minority Whip in the State House of Assembly, Honourable Philip Shuaibu, of the Action Congress (AC), who represents Etsako West Constituency 11 Peoples Democratic Party.
• Court jails man, 51, for human trafficking
Edo state second election petition tribunal ,headed by Justice Beatrice Iliya, yesterday upheld the election of the Minority Whip in the State House of Assembly, Honourable Philip Shuaibu, of the Action Congress (AC), who represents Etsako West Constituency 11 Peoples Democratic Party.
The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Shuaibu winner of the April 14, 2007 House of Assembly election for the constituency with 20,593 votes as against 4,815 votes for Imodagbe Abdulahi of the (PDP), the petitioner.
The petitioner had prayed the tribunal to nullify the election of Shuaibu, alleging that the election was fraught with irregularities, thuggery and intimidation.
However, the tribunal in its judgment Wednesday held that the petitioner could not prove his case of alleged intimidation, thuggery, thumb-printing, stuffing and snatching of ballot papers beyond reasonable doubt.
It also held that petitioners in most cases only made allegations without convincing efforts to prove them
It, however, held that in wards and units were alleged electoral malpractices were found to be true, results of such areas were canceled, but the cancellation did not lead to a change of winner as Shuaibu was found to have still scored majority of votes cast in the election.
After evaluating the scores, the tribunal held that Shuaibu won the election with 20,095 majority lawful votes as against Imodagbe's 4,718.
Meanwhile, Benin High Court has sentenced a 51-year-old man, Samuel Emwirobankhoe, to five years imprisonment for human trafficking without an option of fine.
The accused, who stood trial on 16-counts, was said to have been arrested in Kano while taking seven girls to Italy, enroute Libya by officials of Nigeria Immigration Service who later handed him out to National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in persons and other Related Matter (NAPTIP).
Besides, the accused person was also said to have procured seven girls for prostitution.
He allegedly told the girls that they were going to be taken abroad for prostitution for which each of them will pay him the sum of 35,000 euros as his commission for sponsoring them.
At the trial, prosecution tendered a parcel containing wraps of pubic hair and four wraps of finger nails obtained from the victims by the accused and taken to a shrine in Abudu, Edo State where a native doctor used the items to administer an oath on them and to secure their commitment to pay the sum of 35,000 Euros by each of them to the accused.
After evaluating the evidence adduced before her, the trial judge, Justice Akomolafe-Wilson found the accused guilty on counts, 1, 2, 3 and 4 and sentenced him to fie years imprisonment on each.
She also found him guilty on counts 9, 10, and 12 and sentenced him to three years imprisonment on each of the counts the sentence is however to run concurrently.