An Election Petition Survey in Nigeria has revealed that the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio’s senatorial election petition is the most widely reported in the history of the country.
According to the survey, “the history of Election petition in Nigeria started from first the Republic.
Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo had severally approached the Tribunal to upturn his opponent’s victory in his favour. The candidate of the then ruling party, Alhaji Sheu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was declared winner.
Meanwhile, many politicians had in the past went to Tribunal to reclaim their mandates as well.
Among the most celebrated petitions is the one of the immediate past Governor of Osun State, Engineer Rauf Aregbesola. Aregbsola’s electoral petition against Ex-Gov. Olagunsoye Oyinlola in 2010 was massively celebratated by Nigerian media just like the present Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi against former Governor Segun Oni in 2010, which all went in favour of the petitioners.
Both Nigerians at home and their families abroad have been kept abreast with the nuggets of the procedures in the tribunal.
Making it one of the most widely covered election petition tribunal by media houses in the history of Nigeria.
Akpabio is challenging Ekpeyong’s victory at the last Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District election.
As Akwa Ibom National Elections Petition Tribunal is set to give its final judgement any time from now and the damming facts presented by the petitioner (Akpabio) before the Tribunal through his lawyers, it seems the history of 2010 may repeat itself, where Aregbsola and Fayemi became victorious at the Osun and Ekiti Tribunals respectivelly,” it stated.
