Election Tribunal Strikes Out Chris Ekpenyong's Application ... Slams PDP Candidate Over Delay Tactics

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By UbongAbasi Ise

The motion filed by the Akwa Ibom Northwest (Ikot Ekpene) Senator-Elect, Engr. Chris Ekpenyong of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for an order to stop the forensic analysis of the election materials as prayed by Senator Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has suffered a big blow as the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Uyo yesterday dismissed it for lack of merit.
The election tribunal chaired by  Justice W. O. Akanbi chided the PDP Senatorial candidate for seeking to cause a reversal of an exparte order it had already granted Senator Godswill Akpabio and the APC on April 2, 2019, which permitted them to go ahead with the  inspection of materials custodied by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Counsel to the PDP, Mr Solomon Umoh, SAN,  had sought a counter order praying the Tribunal to dismiss Senator Akpabio's petition in its entirety, and to set aside the petitioner's request for inspection and forensic analysis of election materials used in the February 23 Senatorial elections in Akwa Ibom North West  District.
The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice W. O. Akanbi, was to come heavy on the PDP Counsel saying he was "hell-raising technicalities to waste the time of the Tribunal."
Justice Akanbi said the petitioner's prayers for the  inspection of electoral materials and the order granted by the Tribunal were in line with the provisions of Section 151, sub-sections 1 and 2 of the Electoral Act.
On the mode of analysing the materials, the Tribunal Chairman, in his words, maintained that "any party is at liberty to adopt any method of inspection. The parties involved in an election can chose to bring in forensic experts. The inspection can also be manually done. Even if the inspection is done with laboratory equipment, the law is okay with that."
Meanwhile, the tribunal has adjourned its sitting to Friday, May 10, 2019.
It would be recalled that the ongoing suit at the tribunal was filed on the 16th of March by Akpabio's lawyer, Mr. Sunday Ameh, SAN, as the serving Senator seeks to upturn the victory of Chris Ekpenyong and the PDP based on perceived electoral malpractices that characterised the election.
Senator Godswill Akpabio believes that Mr. Mike Igini, the Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Officer, REC, acting for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had allegedly in collaboration with some PDP chieftains in the state, wrongfully declared Ekpeyong and his party, the PDP, winner of the poll, having scored 118,215 as against Akpabio’s 83,158.
However, the former governor's camp maintains that the result sheets from Akwa Ibom INEC office showed different figures that had Akpabio securing 138,256 votes as against Ekpeyong’s 123,843.

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