Tribunal sacks Edo APC lawmaker representing Oshiomhole’s constituency

The election of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Etsako West II Constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly, Yakubu Gowon, was on Friday upturned by the state Election Petitions Tribunal in Benin, the state capital.
Before his victory in the April 11 election was upturned on Friday by Justice E. Abuua, he represented Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s constituency.
To the judge, Gowon was not duly nominated by his party because the APC’s notice of intention to hold party primaries, which he sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was less than the mandatory 21 days.
The notice was given on November 13, 2014, while the primaries were conducted on December 1, 2014.
To the tribunal, all the votes cast for Gowon were wasted and
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Sylvanus Eriagha, who was the first runner up with 4,001 votes, was the rightful person to be declared winner of the poll.
To the state PDP Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, the verdict “is a sweet victory for our party”.