SDP senatorial, APC Assembly candidates withdraw petitions in Cross River

The candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for Cross River State Central Senatorial District in the 2019 election, Solomon Idor Esor and two All Progressives Congress (APC) State House of Assembly candidates yesterday withdrew their petitions from the election tribunal.

Esor, who was challenging the exclusion of his party logo in the ballot paper for the district, said his inability to be personally present in the country to prosecute the matter necessitated his withdrawal.

The application to withdraw the suit was granted unopposed by the respondents and the matter subsequently struck out by the three-man tribunal led by the Chairman, Justice Vincent M. Agbata.

The tribunal also considered two separate applications from the APC candidates in the election to the state House of Assembly seats for Calabar South State Constituency II and Bakassi State Constituency, Victor Nsa and Dr. Nakanda Bassey, respectively.

They were seeking to withdraw their petitions challenging the victory of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidates, Mr. Joseph Bassey of Calabar South State Constituency II and Dr. Ekpo-Ekpo Bassey of Bakassi State Constituency. Both of them cited financial inability to continue the case.

However, the senator-elect for the Central Senatorial District, Dr. Sandy Onor of the PDP, expressed delight for the development, saying: “I permanently wave the olive branch to my elder brother, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) of the APC, and without being subjunctive to understand that it is in the interest of our people to have him withdraw his own matter as well. I do hope that he shall do so.”

The petition filed by Ndoma-Egba is also challenging exclusion from the race on the basis of delisting of names of candidates of the party, which was officially announced by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in the state, few hours to the election.

Meanwhile, the election petition tribunal has granted an order for the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency, Innocent Ovat, to inspect the smart card reader machines and other materials that were deployed in each polling unit during the elections.

Other materials, which the tribunal ordered INEC to release to the petitioner, include the certified true copies of Form EC 8A of all the polling units/voting points in Etung and Obubra local councils.