By Ijeoma Obioma
The National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi has upheld the election of the Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mrs. Lami Danladi as member representing Ado constituency.
The tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Ory’zik Ikeorha, delivered the judgment on Thursday, stating that the petitioners, Mrs. Agnes Uloko and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), failed to substantiate their claims.
Justice Ikeorha emphasised that the petitioners could not provide sufficient evidence to support their allegations of certificate forgery or prove that Danladi was not a member of the APC before running for the election.
She pointed out that the petition lacked the strength to establish a forgery case against the respondent and noted that pleadings alone were insufficient as evidence in court.
The court also noted that the certificate presented by the respondent appeared genuine based on the physical evidence.
Consequently, the requested reliefs were denied, and the petition was dismissed in its entirety.
It is worth recalling that Mrs. Uloko and the PDP had filed the petition against Danladi, the APC, and INEC, contesting her victory and declaration by INEC.
The petitioners argued that the respondent did not meet the necessary qualifications to participate in the March 18th Ado State Constituency Election and was not an APC member at the time of her candidacy.
They had also sought her disqualification based on allegations of forgery.
In response, the respondent asserted that she possessed the required qualifications and presented relevant documents, challenging the petitioners to substantiate their claims, which they failed to do.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
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