By Reporter
The Court of Appeal, Abuja has affirmed the victory of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Jibrin Isah Echocho.
During the judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court determined that the witness upon which the tribunal based its decision was not qualified.
As a result, the exhibits presented by the witness were removed from the records.
Subsequently, the Court of Appeal overturned the tribunal’s verdict and confirmed Isah’s triumph.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had initially declared Jibrin Isah Echocho, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), as winner of the Kogi East Senatorial District election.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Victor Adoji, who came in second place, contested the victory.
Adoji argued that the elections were annulled in certain polling units where the number of collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) exceeded the margin of victory.
He urged the tribunal to invalidate Echocho’s win and order a supplementary election in the 94 affected polling units within the senatorial district.
The tribunal unanimously ruled for a rerun in the 94 polling units with election irregularities.
Dissatisfied with this judgment, Echocho filed an appeal against the lower court’s decision.
In response to the court’s decision, Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho expressed that his victory in the Court reaffirms the mandate given to him by his constituents.
He commended the people of his constituency and assured the people of Kogi State East that he would provide more robust and impactful representation at the National Assembly, fulfilling his campaign promises.
