Akwa-Ibom State gubernatorial election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja has ordered a re-run of the April 11 poll in 18 out of the 31 local government areas of the state.
Election in the affected local government areas is to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, within 90 days.
The affected local councils include: Uyo, Eket, Ibesikpo, Ona, Ukanafun, Ikono, Oron, Uruan, Ibiano- Ibom and Etinan.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Sadiq Umar, nullified the election while delivering judgment in a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate, Mr. Umana Umana.
In the judgment that lasted over seven hours, the tribunal agreed with the petitioner that there was disenfranchisement as a result of widespeed violence, snatching of election materials and irregularities and harassment of the election umpire.
However, the tribunal was silent on the prayer seeking invalidation of the election of governor Emmanuel Udom.
Mr Umana Umana and Gov Emmanuel Udom
Earlier in the judgment, the tribunal dismissed the forensic report on the grounds that those who generated the report admitted in their witnesses’ statements that they were not forensic experts.
More so in the judgment the tribunal dismissed the press statement issued by INEC in the use of card reader for the elections.
According to Justice Umar “the card reader report is not a conclusive report to ascertain the actual number of accredited voters. That press release concerning the card reader report is null and void as it offended the provisions of section 49 of the Electoral Act which deals with the process of accreditation in an election.”
The APC witnesses who came on the pedestal of experts all declined before the tribunal that they were experts.
According to the tribunal the so called experts did not show the tribunal how they came about their findings.
