Senator Ede Dafinone Rejects Tribunal’s Verdict Nullifying Election, Vows to Appeal
ASABA/Nigeria: The Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Senator Ede Dafinone, has unequivocally rejected the judgment handed down by the National Assembly Petition Tribunal, which convened in Asaba today, nullifying his hard-fought election victory.
In a swift response to the tribunal’s decision, Senator Dafinone, while maintaining his respect for the ruling, openly expressed his outright disagreement with the outcome. He wasted no time in directing his legal team to prepare an appeal against the tribunal’s verdict.
The tribunal, presided over by Justice W. I. Kpochi, delivered its verdict following a petition denoted as EPT/DT/Sen/2023, submitted by the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ighoyota Amori. While the tribunal dismissed some of Amori’s claims on the grounds of lacking merit, it did make a significant ruling.
The tribunal nullified the return made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on February 25, 2023, and has ordered a supplementary election within 90 days. Notably, this supplementary election will take place in only 23 polling units, a fraction of the 2,180 units located in the district.
Furthermore, the tribunal rejected Amori’s pleas seeking to declare Senator Ede Dafinone’s victory null and void, as well as an alternative prayer requesting his own declaration as the winner of the senatorial election. These requests were deemed to lack merit by the tribunal.
The affected polling units requiring a rerun, as declared by the tribunal, are situated in Sapele, Okpe, Udu, and Ughelli North Local Government Areas.
Despite this setback, Senator Dafinone remains undaunted. In a statement, he expressed his resilience and urged his supporters and party faithful to remain calm. He assured them that he is resolutely heading to the appeal court, determined to reclaim what he believes to be his rightful mandate.
The political saga in Delta Central Senatorial District continues to captivate the attention of the public, and the appeal process promises to be closely watched as it unfolds.
The statement read:
“The National Assembly Petition Tribunal sitting at Asaba today nullified my return as the winner of the Delta Central Senatorial Election of 25 February 2023 and ordered a supplementary election within 90 days in only 23 polling units, out of the 2,180 units in the district.
“While I respect the ruling of the tribunal, I do not accept its decision. I have therefore directed my legal team to appeal the judgement immediately.
“Like we promised during our campaign to defend our votes, we shall fulfill our promise by defending the mandate which the people of Delta Central freely gave to us.
*It is instructive to note that despite the cancellation of the affected units, we are still having an insurmountable lead over our closet opponent.
“As a consequence, we are not perturbed by today’s momentary setback which we shall surely overcome.
“We, therefore, urge our party faithful, supporters, and the great people of Delta Central to remain calm and steadfast, because this also shall end in Praise!
