National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Jalingo, Taraba State capital, yesterday sacked Senator Bashir Marafa Abba of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The senator represents Taraba Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

He was dragged to the tribunal by the All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate, Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf.

The three-man panel of Justices, in a two and a half hours ruling held that the 1st respondent, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, 2nd respondent, PDP, and 3rd respondent, Senator Abba, failed to prove the case against them beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice I.A. Yusuf, who read the judgement, held that the tribunal was convinced by the evidence that there was swapping of votes of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, by Bali Local Government collation officer in favour of the PDP candidate.

He also held that the cancelation of the results of 16 out of 17 polling units in Kaigama ward within the same local government by the 1st respondent after the results were announced at the polling units by presiding officers was an afterthought and against provisions of the Electoral Act.

The tribunal faulted the cancelation of the entire result of Kaigama ward and ordered the deduction of 2, 999 votes of SDP, which were swapped with the 512 votes for PDP, giving APC candidate 66,097 against the PDP candidate’s 64,356 and SDP’s 33,489.

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