Tribunal sacks PDP’s lawmaker in Bayelsa, orders rerun

The National/ States Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Yenagoa, on Friday nullified the election of Fred Agbedi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency of Bayelsa.

The tribunal directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately withdraw the certificate issued to him and conduct fresh elections in some polling units in the constituency.

It directed INEC to organise a fresh election for 20,000 voters who were unlawfully excluded from the election.

Mr Michael Olomu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) had approached the tribunal and prayed to be declared the winner.

Olomu said that he should be declared as the rightful winner of the election due to incidents of violence that marred the electoral process.

He alleged that the violence, which was allegedly orchestrated by his opponent, had a significant impact on the election’s integrity.

Olomu said that the election did not take place in five wards yet results were collated, saying that the wards included Ward 5 (Ebedebiri), Ward 11 (Ofoni, Sagbama), Ward 12 (Ekeremo ), along with Wards 3 and 4 in Ofoni, Sagbama.

Reacting, Agbedi expressed readiness to take part in the supplementary election.