By Christiana Ekpa
The governorship and national assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, has upheld the election of Mark Useni representing Takum/Donga/Ussa Federal Constituency.
Useni, former speaker of the state Assembly, was dragged before the election tribunal sitting in the state by the candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rimam Shawulu; and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Barrister Istifanus Haruna Gbana.
The duo had urged the tribunal to cancel the election and order a fresh exercise in the constituency.
They also asked the tribunal to bar Useni of the All Progressives Congress from presenting himself as the lawmaker representing the constituency, adding that he did not get the lawful number of votes to be declared as the winner of the election.
Ruling on the petitions, the tribunal chairman, Justice Benson Ogbu, dismissed the two petitions on the ground that “the petitions collapsed on failure of proof by the petitioners.”
He stated that during the cross examination, counsels to Useni were able to prove to the tribunal that the candidate of the APC won the election with lawful votes “And his election remains valid in the eyes of the law.”
Useni, reacting to the ruling, described the judiciary as the hope for the common man, urging the duo to join hands with him to catapult the constituency to greater heights
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