DELTA: Uduaghan queries tribunal ruling sacking Sen Manager, heads to A’Court

The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate, Emmanuel Uduaghan, who lost the Delta South senatorial election in the February 23 poll, has said that he was not satisfied with the tribunal ruling that ordered for fresh election.

James Manager, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, had won Uduaghan and others at the election.

But the former Delta State governor had challenged the outcome of the election at the National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

He had in his petition argued among other things, that the election was rigged in favour of the PDP’s candidate and demanded to be declared the winner of the poll.

But ruling on the matter on Saturday, a three-man panel of the tribunal led by Justice C. O. Onyaebo nullified the election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Senator Manager, and conduct a fresh election within 90 days.

However, in his response to the ruling, Uduaghan, in a statement through his media aide, Monoyo Edon, on Saturday kicked against the ruling.

He said the tribunal ought to have declared him the winner of the election and vowed to head to the Appeal Court to challenge the ruling.

READ ALSO: DELTA: Tribunal sacks Sen Manager, orders fresh election

“While we are happy with the tribunal’s judgment which affirmed my party’s position that the election was rigged and characterized with electoral over voting, we are not entirely satisfied with the judgment as the tribunal ought to have deducted the excess illegal votes and declared me and my party rightful winner of the election.

“In view of this, we shall be challenging the tribunal’s judgment at the Appeal Court to declare us as the outright winner of the February 23rd, 2019 National Assembly Election for Delta South Senatorial District,” the statement read.

 

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