In his judgment, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice P. O Odudu, maintained that the petition challenging the election did not cover less than 404 polling units but the petitioner had brought less than 20 witnesses.
The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, has thrown out the petition filed by Senator George Akume challenging the victory of Senator Emmanuel Orker-Jev representing Benue North-West Senatorial District.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had returned Orker-Jev of the Peoples Democratic Party as winner of the February 23, 2019 election.
Akume had approached the tribunal to upturn Orker-Jev's victory and declare him as the substantive winner.
In his judgment, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice P. O Odudu, maintained that the petition challenging the election did not cover less than 404 polling units but the petitioner had brought less than 20 witnesses.
Odudu said, “The petitioner is required to provide evidence polling unit by polling unit, ward by ward.
“Even if all 20 witnesses’ evidence were to be proven, it would just be like a drop of water in an ocean and therefore of no consequence to the overall result.”
He, therefore, dismissed the petition and awarded N100,000 damages each to the first and second respondents (Orker-Jev and INEC), who were joined in the petition to be paid by the petitioner.