Benue Assembly deputy speaker sacked by tribunal

The election of Chris Adaji as a Benue State House of Assembly member representing Ohimini State Constituency has been nullified by the National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal which sat today in the state's capital Makurdi.

The Benue House of Assembly Deputy Speaker and PDP lawmaker was sacked on grounds of margin with which he led Musa Alechenu Ohimini of the All Progressives Congress (APC) being lesser than the cancelled votes. Chairman of the Tribunal Justice R. O. Odudu said the 397 votes Adaji led Musa with, is less than the 1, 056 votes cancelled in the two polling units of Igbanomaje and Odega.

According to him, INEC should have declared the election inconclusive and also conducted a rerun. Justice Odudu ordered a withdrawal of the certificate of return issued to Adaji and a rerun election in Igbanomaje and Odega within 90 days.