Tribunal nullifies Shagaya’s election, again

Isaac Shobayo, Jos - 18.01.2008

THE election of Senator John Shagaya, representing Southern Plateau district, has been nullified for the second time by the election petition tribunal sitting in Jos.

This followed a petition filed by the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) senatorial candidate, General John Temlong (rtd). The tribunal had last December nullified Shagaya’s election based on the petition filed by the senatorial candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Senator Silas Janfa.

Janfa, in his earlier petition against Shagaya, declared that the April election which returned Shagaya as winner was inconclusive, because election only took place in three out of the six council areas in the zone.

The tribunal finally agreed with him and consequently ruled that due to the staggered nature of the election, a lot of voters were disenfranchised during the election and, therefore, nullified Shagaya’s election.

Temlong, on the other hand, had petitioned the tribunal that his name and the logo of his party were excluded from the ballot paper used for the election.

The tribunal’s chairman, Justice Emeka Nzegwu, therefore, ruled that based on the evidence and witnesses presented by the petitioner, his exclusion from the election and the omission of his party logo on the ballot papers was a violation of 45 (1) of the Electoral Act.

The chairman ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in the area within the next three months.

Senator Shagaya had earlier appealed against the ruling of the tribunal on the petition against him by the AC senatorial candidate, Janfa.