20th May, 2019
National and State Houses of Assembly Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa, on Monday struck out the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) challenging the Feb. 24 election which returned the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner.
Mr John Mark, candidate of PDM approached the tribunal challenging the victory of Mr Abdulakarim Usman, the House of Representatives member-elect for Akwanga/Nassarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituency.
The PDM candidate was challenging the election over alleged exclusion of his name and the logo of his party from the ballot paper.
The petitioner filed a case against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP and its candidate in the election.
Ruling on the motion, Justice David Ugoh, Chairman of the Tribunal held that the petitioner failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010.
Ugoh said that all parties must comply strictly with the provision of the Electoral Act, as amended because all petitions would be decided on its merits.
He said the petitioner filed the letter of pre-hearing out of time, thereby flouting the seven-day time allowance provided by the law.
”The petitioners filed after the expiration of the seven days stipulated by the Electoral Act.
”The implication is that the petition is deemed abandoned and accordingly, the petition is hereby dismissed ” the Tribunal Chairman said.