National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Minna has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to set aside the victory of Joshua Audu Gana of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), in the February 25 National Assembly election and ordered for a rerun in 23 polling units of Edati, Lavun and Mokwa federal constituency.
Consequently the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Joshua Audu Gana of the PDP.
Joshua Gana was declared winner of the February 25 National Assembly election to represent Edati, Lavun and Mokwa federal constituency after defeating Usman Abdullahi Gbatamagi of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Gbatamagi now the chief of staff to the governor of Niger State approached the tribunal requesting that he should be returned as the rightful winner of the election.
Justice Mohammed Rashid delivering the judgement said the tribunal after painstakingly reviewing all the evidences, exhibits and witnesses that testified the tribunal submitted that all the evidences tendered before the tribunal were convincing enough.
The tribunal invalidated votes in the 23 polling units of the constituency, thereby reducing the votes of Gana to 46,494 while those of Gbatamagi reduced to 39,159 with the rerun in 23 out of 482 polling units of the constituency affecting 14, 411 PVCs collected in the area.
Justice Rashid said the tribunal has therefore ordered the conduct of the rerun in the 23 affected polling units within the next 90 days.
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