The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Calabar on Wednesday has sacked the honourable member representing Abi/Yakurr federal constituency of Cross River state in the National Assembly, Alex Egbonna over issues based on party primaries.
Egbonna was elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw certificate of return issued to Egbonna and issue fresh one to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, John Gaul Lebo.
Delivering judgment on the 3-man tribunal led by Justice Vancent Agbata declared that the APC candidate did not emerge from a credible party primaries and as such, all the votes casted for him are waste.
The panel subsequently declared John Gual Lebo of the Peoples Democratic Party as a candidate in the polls with the highest valid votes having considered the APC candidate, “Not a lawful candidate in the eyes of the law as on the date of the election”.
The tribunal said that APC had no candidate in the eyes of the law; “A consequent of the APC war of attrition within it ranks” and also that after cancellation of the over voting recorded in the two wards of Ekwuruku in Abi local government area, the petitioner scored the highest vote validly cast in the polls.
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