Benue South: Returning Officer Faults Tribunal Ruling.

The Returning Officer in the March 28 Senatorial election in Benue South, Prof Latif Tiamiyu, has faulted the decision of the Court of Appeal to void the election of Senator David Mark based on indication that Mark’s victory was announced by him while collation of results was still ongoing.

Tiamiyu, who spoke in Abuja on Saturday, said that former Senate President David Mark won the election which he (Tiamiyu) announced after the collation of results.
The Appeal Tribunal in the Benue State Elections Petitions Tribunal had nullified Senator David Mark’s victory in the March 28, 2015 National Assembly elections, which was challenged by Daniel Onjeh of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Onje had approached the Appeal Tribunal seeking the cancellation of the election and an order asking the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), to conduct fresh election in the district.

The Returning Officer however said in a telephone conversation: “I have an integrity to protect and I am ready defend it at anytime. The election was peacefully conducted on March 28. We started collation through March 29 and 30 when the result was declared.”

He also insisted that the result of the poll was announced after the collation of all the results had been completed.

The APC candidate had earlier lost his petition at the Election Tribunal headed by Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, who on October 7, 2015, dismissed Onjeh’s petition on the ground that evidences tendered before the tribunal were documentary hearsay.