The Taraba State Election Petition Tribunal in Jalingo yesterday sacked Senator Bashir Marafa representing Taraba Central.
It declared the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, winner of the election.
Delivering judgment on the petition by Yusuf, the three-man panel unanimously agreed that Marafa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was not the winner of the poll held on March 28.
The tribunal Chairman, Justice Samson Angor, ruled that the petitioner proved that the first respondent (Marafa) was not elected by the majority of the electorate.
The tribunal observed that the dispute in the case was on the way and manner the results were collated and not on the conduct of the election.
It said the votes in the election were swapped in favour of the PDP candidate, adding that the APC standard-bearer would have won had the collation of results properly done. The tribunal gave the final result of the Taraba Central poll as: APC-66,097 votes; LP-455; PDP-64,356 and SDP-33,489 votes.
It ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Yusuf and retrieve the one given to Marafa. “The petitioner polled the highest number of votes as against those of the first respondent (PDP’s candidate). “The evidence presented by the petitioner’s lawyer showed that votes were swapped and the results were not entered appropriately. “The earlier declaration by INEC in favour of the first respondent should be set aside,” said Ibrahim Yusuf, another member of the tribunal.
Counsel to the sacked senator, Yusufu Akirikwen, said his client would appeal the ruling. APC Chairman Jika Hassan Ardo hailed the judgment. He said: “Justice delayed is not justice denied. Justice has been done. The judiciary has once again demonstrated that it is the last hope of the common man.”
