The victory of Senator Neda Imasuen, the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the February 25 National Assembly election for Edo South Senatorial district was Tuesday re-affirmed by the Edo State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin as the case by his
The petition of his All Progressives Congress (APC) opponent, Mr Valentine Asuen, was dismissed for lack of diligent prosecution.
In a unanimous judgment, which lead was read by Justice Yusuf Ubale Mohammed, the tribunal held that Asuen who is popularly called DVD and APC, an oil magnate completely abandoned their petitions by filing a pre-hearing application against Senator Imasuen out of time.
Again, Justice Mohammed noted that the action of the petitioners was an indication that they had abandoned their petitions and “it is hereby by struck out.”
While unanimously dismissing the petition, the three-man panel ruled that it was incompetent without any iota of merit and “no legs to stand on.”
On the controversial issue of non-qualification of Senator Imasuen, the court held that the issue was a pre-election matter that ought to have been brought before a Federal High Court.
Justice Mohammed said that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain any matter bordering on who a party’s candidate is or the mode of primary election of a party that is instituted by a non-member of the said party.
Against the backdrop of the failure by the petitioner to present Senator Imasuen’s alleged United States international passport and his Oath of Allegiance as an American citizen, Justice Mohammed ruled that Senator Imasuen is not a dual citizen of Nigeria and America as the petitioners alleged but a Nigerian.
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