Sekibo

The Rivers State National and State Assembly Election Petition  Tribunal on Thursday, sacked Senator George Thompson Sekibo, the Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The three-man panel sitting at Apo Quarters in the FCT also ruled that Sekibo’s opponent, Chief Andrew Uchendu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was the true winner of the December 10 re-run senatorial election in the state and instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue him a fresh certificate of return.

The tribunal’s decision to sack the 60-year-old Sekibo was based on what it called substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines and that Mr. Uchendu won the majority of votes cast during the elections.

Chief Uchendu had approached the tribunal with a petition asking the court to declare him winner of the poll, alleging that INEC declared Sekibo the winner without taking the results from some wards and polling units into cognisance.

However, Senator Sekibo, who was declared winner of the re-run polls by INEC’s returning officer, Oji Ekumankama with 93,098 votes as against the 34,193 votes polled by Uchendu, has vowed to contest the tribunal’s ruling in the the Court of Appeal.

“We are going to appeal and I believe that the Appeal Court will see the truth better and vindicate us,” Sekibo said.