[size=35pt]Now we are finally getting somewhere[/size]

From ROSE EJEMBI, Makurdi
Friday September 09, 2011

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The election petition tribunal, sitting in Makurdi, has nullified the election of the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Terhemen Tazoor representing Makurdi North State Constituency. The tribunal also declared the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, Avine Agbom winner of the election.

Delivering the judgement, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Anslem Nwigwe, cancelled the result of Tes-Tsav polling unit where ACN got only eight votes and the PDP polled 260 votes.
Following the cancellation at Tse-Tsav polling unit, the PDP had 10, 351 votes while ACN polled 10, 467 thus making the ACN to win the election by 106 votes.

The tribunal observed that votes at Tse-Tsav polling unit were allocated to political parties when no election took place there. However, speaking to newsmen after the judgement, counsel to the speaker, Emmanuel Iaren, said he would study the judgement and appeal against it. Counsel to the ACN candidate, T. T. Igbah and Andrew Wombo could not speak to newsmen as supporters of the ACN candidate had besieged the tribunal premises.

Meanwhile, Governor Gabriel Suswam had advised the people of the state, especially members and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain calm as the party had taken all necessary steps to appeal the judgment. The governor said the ruling of the tribunal, not withstanding, he still had confidence in the ability of the judiciary to examine all disputes arising from the April general elections with the view to giving justice to the speaker.

The governor noted that the 2011 Electoral Act had provision for any political party, which feels dissatisfied with the decision of the tribunal to approach the Court of Appeal for justice, adding that the PDP would exhaust all legal avenues provided in the constitution to obtain justice. He said, as a disciplined political party, the PDP had taken the judgment with equanimity while remaining hopeful that it would get justice at the Court of Appeal.

Governor Suswam, who declared his solidarity with the Speaker, Terhemen Tarzoo during “this difficult moment of Mr. Speaker’s political career,” urged members of the House of Assembly to continue to cooperate with him while the Court of Appeal looks into the appeal filed by the PDP.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/sept/09/national-09-09-2011-014.html