Tribunal didn`t sack me as Senator, says Kashamu

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NIGERIA: THE Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Buruji Kashamu, on Friday described as untrue media reports that the tribunal has annulled his election.

The GatewwayMail, in contrast to some media reports, had reported that barely five months after the victory of Kashamu, the National and State Houses of Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Ogun State on Friday ordered rerun of elections in some polling units in his Ogun East Senatorial District.

There would be rerun of elections in the invalidated units within 90 days, the three-man tribunal headed by Justice Tobi Ebiowei which delivered judgment at the Isabo Magistrate Court, Abeokuta premises said.

Justice Ebiowei directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to proceed on fresh elections in 110 polling units in Ogun East Senatorial District within the next 90 days.
Justice Ebiowei similarly ordered the electoral body to take into consideration during the conduct of the fresh polls the 146,533 valid votes cast during the March 28, 2015 National Assembly polls in the senatorial district.

Kashamu had defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dapo Abiodun, in the March 28, 2015 election, but the peeved APC and its candidate had challenged the victory of Kashamu at the tribunal.

Abiodun and APC faulted the decision of the INEC to declare Kashamu as the winner of the election claiming that Kashamu’s election failed to comply with the 2010 Electoral Act, as alleged irregularities and malpractices were perpetrated during the poll.
But Ebiowei while delivering judgement said: “We do not feel comfortable to nullify elections in Ogun East when 146,533 votes are valid because of 37,008 unlawful votes.”
However, while kicking against some media reports claiming that his victory had been annulled, Kashamu said the reports were far from the truth of what transpired at the tribunal.

The Senator, who spoke through his Media Aide, Austin Oniyokor, explained: “Our attention has been drawn to some media reports that the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Prince Buruji Kashamu, was today sacked by the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.”

Kashamu in a release entitled “Tribunal didn`t sack Kashamu,” explained: “We wish to say that this is not a true reflection of what transpired at the tribunal.

“Although the tribunal has said the full judgment will be made available on Monday, it could not be said to have sacked Kashamu because, according to it, after the removal of voided votes, Kashamu is still leading with 5,179 votes.”

He added: “According to the tribunal’s findings, Kashamu has 75,856 votes against Dapo Abiodun’s 70,677 votes. So how can the person leading be said to have been “sacked”?  For who? The losing candidate? We think not.

“Besides, the rerun was ordered in 110 out of over 1,135 polling units in the senatorial district. That is less than 10 percent of the polling units in the senatorial district.”

“Certainly, we are going to test veracity of the tribunal’s verdict at the Court of Appeal. The tribunal has given its judgment, but it is not the end of the road. That is the beauty of the judicial process,” Kashamu declared.