I will challenge tribunal judgment in court, says Kashamu

The senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu, whose election was nullified by the tribunal on Friday, has said he will challenge the verdict of the tribunal at the Court of Appeal.

Buruji Kashamu

He said: “Certainly, we are going to test the veracity of the tribunal’s verdict at the ‎Court of Appeal. The tribunal has given its judgment, but it is not end of the road. That is the beauty of the judicial process.

“Although, the tribunal has said the full judgment will be made available on Monday, it could not be said to have sacked Kashamu because after the removal of voided votes, Kashamu is still leading with 5,179 votes. ‎

“According to the tribunal’s findings, Kashamu has 75,856 votes against Dapo Abiodun’s 70,677 votes. So how can the person leading be said to have been “sacked”? For who? The losing candidate? We think not.

“Besides, the rerun was ordered in 110 out of over 1,135 polling units in the senatorial district.”‎

Earlier, the National and State Houses of Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Friday, nullified the election of Kashamu. It also set aside the election of a member representing Ijebu North/Ijebu East and Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable Adesegun Adekoya, also of the PDP.

Tribune Online recalled that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Dapo Abiodun, had approached the tribunal challenging the victory of Kashamu in the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Abiodun, in the petition, alleged that the victory of Kashamu failed to comply with the Electoral Act and that the election was marred with irregularities and malpractices.

The Justice Tobi Ebowei three-man panel delivered 12 judgments amid heavy security. The panel ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections in 110 polling units where irregularities were proved within 90 days.

The Ebowei panel argued that it was comfortable to nullify the election in the senatorial district when 146,533 votes ‎were valid against 37,008 unlawful votes. ‎On the annulment of Adekoya’s victory which was challenged by the candidate of the APC, Mr. Biyi Ismail, the tribunal ordered the electoral body to conduct elections in 222 polling units in the federal constituency in the next 90 days.

Also, the tribunal cancelled the election of Honourable Wale Alausa of the PDP representing Ijebu Ode State Constituency in the House of Assembly following a petition filed by former deputy speaker of the assembly, Tola Banjo.

It ordered that fresh election should be conducted in 14 polling units in ward 6 and 7. On the petition filed against the victory of Honourable Adejuwon Oyenuga of the PDP by the APC candidate, Bola Badejo, the tribunal equally ordered fresh elections in seven units in the state constituency.

The three-man panel also ordered fresh elections in 38 units in Ipokia State Constituency which Honourable Vinwanu Ojo of the PDP ‎is representing in the Assembly, which was challenged by Sewanu Felicia Towakennu-Olatunde.

It noted that the irregularities observed in the affected areas were enough to cancel the entire election results in the state constituency, but ordered rerun within 90 days.

However, the tribunal had a spilt judgment in a petition filed by Adebayo Adebola of the APC against the victory of Honourable Bowale Solaja of the PDP representing Ijebu North 1 in the assembly. A member of the panel said he found no merit in the petition filed by Adebola and therefore upheld the victory of Solaja.

But the other members of the panel are of the view that INEC should conduct a rerun in 67 polling units where irregularities were proved. ‎

The tribunal upheld the victory of Honourable Olujimi Otukoya of the PDP against a petition brought before it by the candidate of the APC, Abayomi Fasua, in Ijebu North East. ‎

Justice Ebowei said: ”It is our view that for any petition to succeed for non-compliance, it must not be on the document but the lead.

“The law is settled on this case and we are of the view that there is no link between the document and the evidence of the witnesses.

“The petition is hereby dismissed and the return of the winner is upheld.”

I will challenge tribunal judgment in court, says Kashamu