The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital has upheld the victory of Senator Christopher Ekpenyong as the lawmaker representing Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District at the February 23 election.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, the Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice W.O. Akanbi held that Ekpenyong, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was duly elected by virtue of receiving the majority votes cast during the poll.
Although one out of the three judges ruled contrary to his two colleagues, the panel through a majority decision dismissed the petition filed by Senator Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the declaration of Ekpenyong by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the said election.
The panel which described the petition as lacking in merit, noted that the petitioner could not prove that he won the said election having failed to present convincing evidence of non-compliance with the Electoral Act as raised in his petition.
Akpabio had, in the petition alleged that INEC, in collaboration with some PDP chieftains in the senatorial district wrongfully declared Ekpenyong and his party the winner of the poll, having scored 118,215 votes as against his 83,158.
He claimed that result sheets obtained from the INEC office in Akwa Ibom State showed that he won the election.
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