The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has nullified the election of Senator George Sekibo, the senator representing Rivers East in the senate.
The verdict by the Court of Appeal affirms the earlier judgment by the Rivers state National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal. The three-member appeal panel led by Adamu Jauro delivered its judgment today August 24th.
The court ordered INEC to immediately withdraw the certificate of return from Sekibo and hand it over to the APC candidate during the December 2016 Rivers legislative rerun election, Andrew Uchendu. The Rivers state election tribunal had in June nullified Sekibo’s election on the grounds that majority of lawful votes cast was duly for the APC candidate and that there was substantial non-compliance with the electoral law in the process of the poll. Unsatisfied with the tribunal’s ruling, Sekibo approached the Court of Appeal Abuja. The court, however, upheld the ruling earlier given by the state election tribunal.
