Samuel Ortom of Benue was on Monday, October 7, affirmed by the election
petition tribunal as the clear winner of the recent governorship poll held in
the state.
The tribunal knocked out the petition brought before it by the candidate of
the All Progressives Congress (APC), Emmanuel Jime, for lacking in merit.
Jime had challenged the return of
Ortom, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
where he argued that the governor should not have been delcared winner of the
election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alleging
substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the electoral act, 2010 as
amended.
It was learnt that Jime joined the PDP and INEC in the petition in which he
alleged that Ortom was not dully elected by the majority of lawful votes cast.
Jime, in the petition, also challenged the results declared in Buruku, Gboko,
Guma, Gwer East, Gwer West, Konshisha, Kwande, Logo, Ukum, Ushongo and
Vandeikya as urged the tribunal to either declare him winner of the exercise or
nullify Ortom’s victory and order the conduct of a fresh poll.
Jime also called 59 witnesses who testified during hearing that they
witnessed irregularities, over voting and other electoral malpractices
allegedly perpetrated by the PDP and INEC during the election.
In a judgement that lasted for nine hours, the chairman of the tribunal,
Justice Henry Olusiyi, faulted the testimonies of Jime’s witnesses saying none
of them could substantiate their claims of over voting and other irregularities
alleged.
The judge said that Jime failed to link the documents tendered in evidence
to the petition. He also said that the petitioner dumped the documents on the
tribunal.
