Tribunal: Okowa, Lalong win

The Delta State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, on Monday, upheld the election of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as the governor.
The Tribunal on Monday threw out the petitions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party challenging Okowa’s emergence as governor.
In the first ruling of the day, the Tribunal threw out the petition of the Labour Party against Okowa and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
It asked the Labour Party to pay N50,000 each to the respondents in the case.
Okowa was the first respondent, while PDP was the second respondent.
In Jos, Plateau State, the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal also upheld the election of Simon Lalong as governor of the North-Central state.
The tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Gyang Pwajok, for lack of merit.
Pwajok had challenged the victory of Lalong of the All Progressives Congress, (APC).
Chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice Johnson Candida, held that all the petitions presented by the petitioners were based on documentary hearsay.
“The tribunal holds that the petitioners abandoned their criminal case and concentrated on civil matters and, therefore, could not prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.
”The tribunal also holds that all the petitions presented by the petitioners were based on documentary hearsay.
”On the allegation of over voting, the petitioners were not able to prove their case, because they needed to have provided witnesses to speak to the documents presented.
”The petitioners didn’t disclose any reason to make the tribunal take further action, and so the case is hereby dismissed for lack of merit,” he declared.
The tribunal directed the petitioners to pay N50,000 fine each to the three respondents, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, and Lalong.
Counsel to APC, Garba Pwul (SAN), described the judgement as victory for the judiciary.
He said that the judgement was a clear evidence that the Nigerian judicial system was making headway, adding that the judgement had gone a long way to make Nigeria better.