Appeal Court sacks Ekwunife, Kashamu Buruji wins

IT was victory for former national chairman and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for Anambra Central Senatorial zone in the last general elections, Victor Umeh as the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu, yesterday nullified the election of his opponent Senator Uche Ekwunife following his (Umeh’s) appeal.

The appellant Court had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh election within 90 days in the senatorial zone.

Meanwhile, it was a different stroke for controversial Senator, Buruji Kashamu, who floored his opponent in the 2015 general election, Dapo Abiodun, at the Court of Appeal.

The Court, which sat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, ruled yesterday that Kashamu is the validly elected representative of Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

Kashamu had headed to the Court, which is the court of last jurisdiction for senatorial election, after the Ogun State Elections Petitions Tribunal ruled in favour of Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress.

The Tribunal had nullified the election of Kashamu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and ordered the conduct of fresh election in 109 wards to determine the actual winner of the seat.

Kashamu, however, headed to the Court of Appeal. In the course of the hearing, the Court of Appeal panel was disbanded over alleged N150 million bribe given to the judges by Kashamu.
It was the new panel that gave Kashamu the victory on Monday.

At the Court of Appeal, Enugu, the three-man appellate panel led by Justice A.H. Yahya in nullifying the March 28 election of Ekwunife upheld the appeal filed by Umeh challenging the judgment of the lower tribunal that had earlier upheld Ekwunife’s election.