Senator Nicholas Tofowomo (SNT) has described the judgement of Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal which nullified the election of Hon. Ikengboju Gboluga of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who represents Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency at the Federal House of Representatives, as a temporary victory for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Albert Akintoye, which cannot stand nor scale through judicial review at the Court of Appeal.
The Ondo South Senator, in a statement made available by Akinrinlola Olumide, his Media Aide, on Thursday, believes the court of appeal would correct all the errors by the tribunal and arrive at correct decisions, more so, that the Supreme Court of Nigeria had in the past adjudicated upon similar cases which the tribunal should have brought to bear as judicial precedent to dispense justice in the matter.
Yesterday, the three-man Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure, Ondo State Capital, nullified the election of Hon. Ikengboju Gboluga, representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal constituency in the federal House of Representatives under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for having dual citizenship.
The three-man panel headed by Justice Nuhu Adi, also declared Albert Akintoye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue Certificate of Return to Akintoye after withdrawing same from Gboluga.
”The judgment of the tribunal is a temporary victory that cannot stand at the appellate court. The APC candidate who was defeated with over 11, 000 votes should not be happy with this temporary victory. He can’t come through the back door to take over the mandate of the people that was not given to him by the people. There is nothing for APC to celebrate as we are believing that appeal court would do proper correction on the issue” Senator Tofowomo said.
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