The Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja has nullified the results of the April 11 governorship election in 18 local government areas of Akwa Ibom States.
The tribunal however upheld the credibility of the election results in the remaining 13 local government areas.
Consequently, the tribunal ordered a re-run of election in the affected local government areas to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within 90 days.
Reacting to the judgment, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniekan Umanah said Governor Emmanuel Udom would appeal the judgment.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Sadiq Umar nullified the election while delivering judgment in a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Mr. Umana Umana .
In the judgment that lasted over seven hours, the tribunal agreed with the petitioner that there was disenfranchisement as a result of violence, snatching of election materials, irregularities and harassment of the electoral officials.
However, the tribunal was silent in the prayer seeking invalidation of the election of the governor, Emmanuel Udom.
Earlier in the judgment the tribunal dismissed the forensic report tendered by the petitioners on the grounds that those who generated the report admitted in their witness statements that they were not forensic experts. (Thisday)
