In a judgment handed down on Thursday in Yenagoa by Justice Sylvester Odili on the petition marked EPT/BY/HR/01/2023 that became filed by the candidate for the All Progressives Congress, Michael Olomu, the National and Relate Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Bayelsa Relate declared that the election of the member representing Sagbama-Ekeremor Federal Constituency on the House of Representatives, Fred Agbedi, became invalid.
In some balloting devices and wards in the Sagbama and Ekeremor LGAs, the place the election became marred by violence and diverse anomalies, the tribunal extra ordered INEC to set a 2d election inside of 90 days.
The panel concluded that INEC’s flagrant violations of the Electoral Act of 2022 had a foremost affect on the results of the elections in the named polling devices and wards.
In its ruling, the tribunal identified the impacted areas for the commission to habits a recent election in inside of 90 days as being 17 polling devices in Wards 10, 11, and 12 of the Ekeremor LGA, six in Ward 11, and the total polling devices in Ward 5 of the Sagbama LGA.
The panel determined that 26, 471 out of the total sequence of registered voters in the concerned wards and balloting devices in both LGAs had been disenfranchised as a results of violence and diverse irregularities.
After the choice became presented, Agbedi gave a press conference the place he declared himself ready for the extra balloting.
He acknowledged, “That is justice served and I’m ready for the supplementary election. No allure, that’s my private decision.”
On his allotment, Olomu acknowledged he would seek the advice of his celebration and attorneys on the following step to address the cease results of his petition.
He acknowledged, “That is a clear indication that in the twenty fifth of February election, I clearly gained, as acknowledged by the tribunal. 26,000 plus votes weren’t given to me. And the court docket has acknowledged that we’ll have the selection to must mild bolt for a re-run. I will seek the advice of the celebration and my attorneys and a call will be taken at the moment.”
