The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Joshua Gana of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who was declared as winner of the February 25 National Assembly Election in Mokwa, Edati and Lavun Federal Constituency of Niger State.
The election tribunal also ordered the electoral umpire to set aside the election of Gana and ordered a rerun in 23 polling units of the constituency.
Abdullahi Gbatamagi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who contested along with Gana, had approached the tribunal requesting that he should be returned as the rightful winner of the election.
Gbatamagi claimed that the respondent lost in some of the polling units across the three federal constituency of Edati, Lavun and Mokwa as the election in those polling units were characterized by irregularities and other electoral malpractices.
He requested the tribunal to upturn the election and return him as the rightful winner of the election.
After reviewing the submissions of both counsels, the tribunal, led by Justice Mohammed Rashid submitted that all evidence tendered before the tribunal by the petitioner was convincing enough.
In a unanimous judgment, the tribunal ordered INEC to immediately withdraw the certificate of return issued to the respondent.
Justice Rashid also ordered the conduct of the rerun in the twenty-three affected polling units within the next 90 days.
