The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Get together, PDP, within the simply concluded Ebonyi South Senatorial bye-election, Barrister Silas Onu, has dragged the All Progressives Congress, APC, flagbearer, Senator Anthony Ani, to court docket looking for his disqualification on the grounds of certificates forgery and ineligibility to face for the ballot.
Onu, within the petition, can also be contending that the declaration of Ani as winner of the election by the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee, INEC, is invalid by causes of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The candidate is the primary petitioner whereas his get together, PDP is the second petitioner.
INEC, Ani and his get together, APC, are the primary, second and third respondents, respectively.
Former Governor David Umahi, who gained the 2023 election to signify the zone, resigned his place as a senator upon his appointment as minister by President Bola Tinubu.
This prompted the Nationwide Meeting to declare the seat vacant and INEC carried out a bye-election on February 3, 2024 to fill the vacant seat.
The Fee thereafter declared and returned Ani as winner of the election with 46,270 votes.
The Fee declared Anthony Eleje candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, as the primary runner-up, whereas Onu was declared because the second runner-up.
INEC then proceeded to subject Ani a Certificates of Return because the Senator-elect after which he was sworn in as Senator.
However Onu has rejected the outcome, vowing to problem it on the tribunal.
Within the petition, Onu is urging the tribunal to disqualify Ani on grounds of forgery and failure to resign his place as a public servant earlier than the stated election.
He alleged that Ani introduced a cast beginning certificates to INEC, opposite to part 66 of the Structure.
He additionally alleged that Ani didn’t resign as a Lecturer on the Federal College of Expertise Owerri, FUTO, earlier than the election as required for public servants.
Based on him, whereas Ani in paperwork submitted to INEC claimed to have resigned on twentieth December, 2023, he, nevertheless, continued to obtain salaries after the stated date of resignation.
“The Petitioners contend that the requirement for public servants who want to contest election into the Nigerian Senate to resign according to part 6 (1)(f) of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) is sacrosanct and can’t be waived or ignored,” the petition stated.
Onu and his get together are additionally urging the tribunal to declare the election as carried out in Afikpo Native Authorities Space invalid because of over-voting.
They alleged that details earlier than them present that INEC did not adjust to the Electoral Act which prescribed cancellation of election leads to polling models the place variety of votes exceeded variety of accredited voters within the native authorities space.
Onu and his get together, PDP, are due to this fact urging the tribunal to subject “an order cancelling all the complete results of Afikpo North Native Authorities Space and declaring identical as invalid votes”.
