The Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Saturday, threw out the petition brought before it by Mr. Philip Oshioma Esede of the Labour Party (LP) challenging the election of the incumbent lawmaker, Hon Philip Shuaibu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on the ground that the petition lacked merit.
Philip Esede and the Labour Party had petitioned the tribunal against Philip Shuaibu and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and argued that as at the time of? the election, the first respondent had no preliminary qualification neither did he attend? the University of Jos as he claimed.
The petition also added that there was discrepancy in the 2003 and 2011 nomination forms filled by Shuaibu? which implied that he lied under oath.
He therefore urged the tribunal? to disqualify him and regard all votes 18, 047 in his favour wasted and invalid while himself should be declared winner having scored the nearest highest? votes of 2, 562.
In the respondent’s reply, according to the chairman of the three man panel, Justice Paul Obi Elechi, the first respondents denied all allegations.
In his ruling that lasted an hour he said, “the first respondent, Hon. Philip Shuaibu, had the basic qualification to contest the office as required by law (O’ Level) and that the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC Senior Officer, Mr. Ademola Adewole, came from their Lagos headquarters to attest to the fact that the first respondent has WAEC certificate.
The chairman further said that the petitioner? scored a goal? against himself when the WAEC official and the Registrar of the University of Jos? came on summons to show evidence that? the first respondent graduated from the institution where he was also the President of National Association of Nigerian Students NANS.
Justice Elechi? also said that no court of competent jurisdiction had found the first respondent guilty of the? offence of perjury.
Reacting to the judgment, Hon Shauibu, described the trial as one of the traumatic moments of his life? because of the desperate attempt of the petitioner to blackmail him for political gains.
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