– The tribunal ruled that Egbonna was not qualified to contest the election for Abi/Yakurr constituency of Cross River state
– INEC was subsequently directed to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Egbonna and issue it to the PDP candidate in the election, John-Gaul Lebo
A member of the House of Representatives representing Abi/Yakurr federal constituency of Cross River state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alex Egbonna, has been sacked by the National/House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Calabar.
In its ruling, the Justice Vincent Agbata-led three-man tribunal asserted that Egbonna was not qualified to contest the election in the first place, Daily Trust reports.
Egbonna had contested against the petitioner, John-Gaul Lebo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who approached the tribunal to seek an annulment of the February 23 House of Representatives election.
Lebo alleged that Egbonna had carried out massive irregularities and was not even the APC’s rightful candidate.
Justice Agbata declared that as at February 23, “Egbonna was not qualified to contest the election of Abi/Yakurr constituency of Cross River state.”
The judge subsequently declared that the votes scored by Egbonna in the said election were therefore invalid and unlawful.
He further declared John Lebo, who scored the highest number of valid votes, as winner of the said election and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately withdraw the Certificate of Return wrongly issued to Egbonna.
Justice Agbata directed the electoral commission to issue the certificate to Lebo.
