Ondo tribunal nullifies Rep’s election

Yinka Oladoyinbo Akure - 06.05.2008

THE election petition tribunal in Ondo State on Monday nullified the election of the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Agboola Ajayi.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Garba Nabaruma, said the lawmaker, representing Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, was not qualified to contest the election.

The candidate of the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) in the election, Mr. Olubukola Ebietomiye, had petitioned the tribunal to nullify the election based on alleged irregularities in the educational qualification of Ajayi.

The petitioner stated that Ajayi was not qualified to contest the election based on Section 66 of the 1999 Constitution as he had presented forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The DPA, which was represented by Chief Sola Ebiseni, also said no election took place in the federal constituency on April 21, 2007, urging the tribunal to nullify the election.

Delivering the tribunal’s judgment, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, said the petitioner was able to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt that election did not take place in the constituency.

The tribunal held that the use of stamps of the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) and that of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on the result sheets from the constituency had invalidated the results.

Besides, the tribunal said the respondent was unable to clear the discrepancies on his age and that of the certificate he presented before the INEC for the election.

The tribunal, therefore, asked Ajayi to vacate the seat and ordered a fresh election to be conducted by the INEC within 90 days of the judgment.