C’River election tribunal receives six petitions

The Cross River State Election Petitions Tribunal on Tuesday said that it had received six petitions from aggrieved candidates from different political parties on the conduct of the just concluded National and state assembly elections in the state.

Assistant Secretary of the tribunal, Alhaji Gobiri Abdulahi, said the tribunal’s bailiff had sent the petitions to the respondents, adding that hearing would commence as soon as the respondents sent in their reply.

Gobiri, who said the tribunal had only 180 days to hear the petitions, said the duration of the cases was dependent on the respondents’ lawyers.

He added that if the defendants delayed to send in their reactions, the petitions would be taken to the tribunal chairman for decision.

One of the petitioners, Mr. Patrick Agbe, who contested the senatorial election on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, in his petition against Prof. Benedict Ayade of the Peoples Democratic Party, alleged that on the eve of the National Assembly election (April 8), the PDP candidate shared money at the Mega Hilton Hotel, Obudu amounting to several millions of naira with the intention of buying voter cards.

Agbe also claimed in the petition that what happened in some wards and polling units in the Cross River North Senatorial District was allocation of votes to the PDP while elections did not hold in many of the wards and polling units, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Another petitioner, Mr. Wabilly Nyiam, who contested the election for Ogoja/Bekwara/Yala Federal Constituency under the All Nigeria Peoples Party, in his petition against the declared winner of the election, Dr. Rose Oko (PDP), claimed that Oko was not qualified to contest the election.

According to him, the PDP failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010, in conducting the primary election in line with Section 87 (9) of the Electoral Act.

The former Akamkpa Local Government Chairman Mr. Polycarp Effiom, who was the ACN candidate in the House of Representatives election for the Akamkpa/Biase Federal Constituency, but lost to his predecessor in office, Mr. Daniel Asuquo, (PDP) is also challenging the outcome of the election and claiming that the PDP candidate was not qualified to contest election.

All the petitioners joined the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission and the PDP in their petitions.