By Peter Jonah
The Election Tribunal sitting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital has sacked Him Fred Agbedi representing Sagbama/Ekermor Federal Constituency.
The tribunal also ordered the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, to withdraw the certificate given to Agbedi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and conduct a fresh election for the 26,000 voters unlawfully excluded.
Michael Bless Olomu of the All Progressive Congress, APC, had prayed to the court to return him as the duly winner of the election following violence witnessed during the election.
Olomu had alleged that the violence orchestrated by the opposition affected five wards where elections did not take place but results were collated.
He said, “That the violence that ensued in ward five (5) Ebedebiri, Ward eleven (11), three (3) and four (4) Ofoni Sagbama Local Government Area; and Ward Twelve (12) in the Ekeremor Local Government Area, actually affected the outcomes of the election in these areas and results generated were forged and as such unacceptable..
RULING OF SAGBAMA / EKEREMOR FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTION BY THE ELECTION TRIBUNAL IN YENAGOA BAYELSA STATE.
In the judgment, the election tribunal called INEC to carry out fresh elections in areas where crisis occurred during the process of the February 25th, 2023 General Elections.
Their reasons are because the total number of registered voters in some polling units where elections where inconclusive out weighed the margin the winner had during the election.
Therefore, elections should be conducted within 90 days in the following Wards and pulling units in Sagbama and Ekeremor Local Government Area respectively.
In Sagbama Ward 5, the total number of registered voters is 13,356.
In Sagbama Ward 11, the pulling Units registered voters where elections will be conducted are as follow;
Unit 10 = 666
unit 15 = 774
unit 17 = 377
unit 18 = 684
unit 21 = 560
unit 23 = 101
In Ekeremor Local Government Area the Wards and pulling Units with the number of registered voters are as follow.
Ekeremor Ward 10 Unit 18 = 368
Ekeremor Ward 11
Unit 7 = 535
Unit 12 = 906
Unit 16 = 750
Ekeremor Ward 12
Unit 6 = 736
Unit 10 = 750
Unit 12 = 889
Unit 13 = 750
Unit 14 = 573
Unit 17 = 708
Unit 18 = 293
Unit 24 = 10
Unit 25 = 925
Unit 26 = 750
Unit 27 = 568
Unit 28 = 473
Unit 29 = 3
The gross total number of registered voters put together amounted to the following.
13,115 registered voters plus Sagbama Ward 5 which is 13,356.
Total = 26,471 registered voters where assume to have been excluded from the process.
Due to this figure compared with the margin between Hon. Fred Agbedi and Mr. Michael Olomu, which Michael Olomu scored 12,591 votes while Hon. Fred Agbedi had 21,430 votes already, given his opponent a margin of 8899 votes.
With this out come, the election tribunal is asking INEC to conduct an election within 90 days to have a final winner of the Sagbama / Ekeremor Federal Constituency election.
