Tribunal Sacks Rivers Speaker, 20 Other State Legislators.
The Rivers State National and State Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja monday dealt a fatal blow on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), nullifying the election of the Speaker of state House of Assembly, Owaji Ibani, and 20 lawmakers in the state.
The tribunal, while delivering the judgment in the case of the lawmakers cited cases of irregularities and violence among other electoral malpractices which necessitated the nullification of the lawmakers’ election victory.
The tribunal ordered fresh elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the new vacant seats.
Indications however emerged that the affected legislators would appeal the judgments.
But the governorship candidate of APC in the April 11 poll, Hon. Dakuku Peterside, has said his party now has 20 legislators, as against 11 for the PDP.
Peterside whose gubernatorial ambition received a boost at the weekend when the tribunal equally annulled the elections of Governor Nyesomo Wike, ordering re-run, gave a breakdown of the current status of the assembly after the verdict monday.
He listed the APC to be victorious at- Gokana, Eleme, Obio-Akpor 1 and 2, Etche 2, Opobo/Nkoro, Akuku-Toru 2, Asari Toru 1&2, Bonny, Tai, ONELGA- 1, Degema, and Ahoada East -1.
Others are Khana-1 and 2, Ikwerre, Phalga-2, Andoni, where elections were nullified in four different tribunals
Meanwhile, he said the PDP were left with 11 assembly members including Oyigbo, Etche 1, Omuma, Ogu-Bolo, PHALGA-1&3,ONELGA-2, and Abua-Odual.
According him, PDP were also left with Ahoada West, and Ahoada East 2, Emuoha where the elections were upheld by the tribunal.
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