Abuja Nigeria: Court of Appeals Nullifies Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election, Orders Fresh Election Within 90 Days.

ICMS, Inc News Journal

By Tom Okure, PhD
Date: December 19, 2015
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According to media sources in Nigeria, a five man panel of the Court of Appeals sitting in Abuja, Nigeria has ordered a fresh governorship election in Akwa Ibom state. The lead judge of the panel, Justice Adedotun Adefope Okojie who delivered the court decision on Friday November 18, 2015 in Abuja indicated that the court’s decision was based on what the court termed “substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.”

The appellate court also set aside the decision of the October 21, Election Petition Tribunal for the governorship election by nullifying the entire prior election in the state and ordering fresh elections in the state within 90 days.

The appellate court noted that the governorship elections in the state was not properly conducted as required by the law.  It indicated that the onus was on the respondents, Governor Emmanuel (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prove that there was substantial compliance. It also stated among other things, that the election tribunal was wrong by laying the whole burden of proof on the petitioners, saying “whichever way one looks at it, facts show that votes recorded at the end of the election were far in excess of the total number of accredited voters.” Consequently, according to the reasoning of the Appeals Court, the tribunal was wrong in holding that non-compliance was not substantial to warrant the nullification of the entire election.….Watch Video and Read more:

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