The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia has ordered rerun election in seven Electoral Wards of Lafia and Obi Federal Constituency over illegal cancellation of results.
Justice Weli Chechey, the Chairman of the tribunal gave the order while delivering judgment in a petition filed by Haruna Kigbu of the PDP in Feb. 23, challenging the election of Dahiru Abubakar of the APC.
Chechey ordered that the cancellation of results in 24 polling units of Agyaragu Tofa Electoral Ward in Lafia Local Government Area by the LGA Collation Officer was illegal.
He also declared that the cancellation of results by the same collation officer in some units in the constituency ward was illegal.
The electoral wards are Tudun Adabu of Obi and Shabu/Gwandere, Ashigye, Keffi Wambai, Makama and Arikya electoral wards of Lafia.
The chairman held that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) had failed to prove that the cancellation emanated from any written complaint by the Presiding Officers of the affected units as required by law.
“The LGA Collation Officer do not have the right to cancel any result, more so that there was no written complain from the Presiding Officers of the affected areas,’’ he added.
He noted that the evidence before the tribunal had shown the election of February 23 was free of any rancour.
The chairman said was wrong to cancel results from a free, fear and credible election.
He said the cancellation was arbitrary, unauthorised and illegal and “we declared it as such and directed INEC to conduct rerun in the affected polling units.’’
INEC in February, declared Dahiru of APC winner after he poll 61,992 votes against the PDP candidate who scored 52,392 votes.
