The election of Mrs. Danladi Lami as deputy speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly was confirmed on Thursday by the National/State Election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi.
To represent the Ado State Constituency, Lami of the All Progressives Congress defeated Mrs. Agnes Uloko of the People’s Democratic Party.
Unhappy with the results, the latter filed a petition with the tribunal, claiming that the first respondent (Deputy Speaker) was ineligible to run in the Ado state constituency election at the time of the election.
Shearu argues that the first responder should be proclaimed the winner of the election and given a certificate of return because the votes she received were wasted.
The tribunal’s chairman, Justice Ory-Zik Okeorha, issued the ruling. He disagreed with the petitioner’s assertion that the issue of certificate forgery is an election-related concern. The Electoral Act of 2022, according to the tribunal, outlines three (3) grounds on which an election may be challenged. These grounds include the candidate’s eligibility to run for office, as defined in section 134 sub-1 of the Electoral Act, that the election is invalid because of a violation of the Electoral Act, and that the respondent was not duly elected by a majority of the valid votes cast.
Two issues were taken out by the tribunal. It took note of the claim that the first respondent submitted a falsified certificate to INEC in order to contest the election and whether the petitioners have established their claim for the requested remedy.
It was decided that the petitioner’s single witness just pled not guilty.
