Tribunal upholds Aduda’s election

The FCT National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Apo High Court, Abuja has upheld the election of Senator Philip Aduda as winner of the March 23 senatorial election in the territory. The three-member tribunal led by Justice Okwudili A. Ezeoke, in his three-hour judgment, dismissed the petition of the FCT senatorial candidate of the […]

The FCT National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Apo High Court, Abuja has upheld the election of Senator Philip Aduda as winner of the March 23 senatorial election in the territory.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Okwudili A. Ezeoke, in his three-hour judgment, dismissed the petition of the FCT senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) Nkechi Chinyere Doris, for lack of merit and awarded a cost of N300,000 against the petitioners.

The tribunal overruled the preliminary objection of the respondents that the petition was a pre-election matter which he said ought to have been heard by a high court and not the tribunal.

He further held that the tribunal had the jurisdiction to hear the petition as it was a post-election matter which only a tribunal could adjudicate upon.

According to him, the petition was brought pursuant to Section 138(1) of the Electoral Act, as amended, adding that the burden of proof rested on the petitioners.

Reacting to the judgement, counsel to the petitioner, Barrister Aliyu Lemu, said he was dissatisfied with the judgement delivered by the tribunal. He said he would consult his client to appeal after receiving the certified true copy of the judgement.

Aduda, who was in court after the judgement, expressed gratitude to God for the verdict, which he said proved that the people of the FCT voted for him massively in the March, 23 general elections.

The FCT senatorial candidate of PDM, Chinyere Doris, had filed a petition before the tribunal over her alleged exclusion from the ballot papers during the March, 23 National Assembly election in the FCT.