The Labour Party candidate for the Egor Constituency, Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Derick Uhunmwagho, has asked the election petitions tribunal to nullify the emergence of Osawaru Irobosa of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the March 18 and April 15 supplementary polls.
The petitioner, through his counsel, Stanley Imhanruor, contended that “The 3rd respondent (Irobosa) was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast at the election.
“The election that returned the 3rd respondent was invalid by reason of corrupt practice, or non -compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Irobosa polled 12,436 votes to win the poll, while the LP candidate got 11,245 votes to place second.
But the LP candidate, through his legal team led by Etigwe Uwa (SAN), contended that he won the main election on March 18 and INEC had no reason to declare the election inconclusive and call for a supplementary poll.
Uhunmwagho alleged that the supplementary poll ‘created room for rigging’, and paved the way for Irobosa’s emergence.
The LP candidate is, therefore, urging the tribunal to hold that “the supplementary election conducted on 15th April 2023 is a nullity, not having been predicted on compliance with the Electoral Act, as well as the guidelines, and therefore the declaration and return of the 3rd respondent by the 1st respondent as member of Edo State House of Assembly, EGOR Constituency is illegal, unlawful, void and of no effect whatsoever.”
The LP candidate wants the tribunal to “determine that the 1st petitioner was duly, validly and lawfully elected and ought to be returned as member of Edo State House of Assembly, EGOR Constituency, having polled the highest number of lawful votes cast at the election of 18th March 2023 and 15th April, 2023 respectively to the office of the member of Edo State House of Assembly, EGOR Constituency.”
He is praying the tribunal to make “an order setting aside the Certificate of Return issued by INEC to Irobosa and directing the INEC to issue the said certificate to him as the duly elected member of Edo State House of Assembly, Egor Constituency.”
