Senator Smart Adeyemi representing Kogi West senatorial district has petitioned the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lokoja alleging irregularities in the conduct of the election.
Adeyemi, who is challenging the result of the polls, is also praying that he should be declared winner of the election.
Senator Adeyemi came second with 38,148 votes while Dino Melaye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 41,120 was declared winner of the March 28 election.
In the petition, Adeyemi through his counsel, J. O. Olatoke, declared that Dino Melaye was not duly elected or returned by the majority of the lawful votes cast during the election to Kogi West Senatorial District held on March 28.
Adeyemi said he scored majority of lawful votes cast during the election and ought to have been declared the winner and returned as elected to the Senate adding that the declaration and return of Melaye was wrongful and invalid.
The petition said Dino was declared the winner of the election because of wrong and/or incorrect computation of lawful votes cast and intentional omission of collating results of the polling units won by the petitioner and counting of spoilt ballots in his favour.
Adeyemi is equally seeking an order withdrawing or nullifying the certificate of return already issued to Melaye as the winner of the election and that INEC which is the third respondent in the petition be directed to issue a certificate of return to him as, he said, he scored the highest number of lawful votes cast in the election.
He insists also that Melaye is not qualified as at the time of the election to contest for the senatorial seat of the district by reason of substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and is asking for his disqualification as the candidate for the election.
Adeyemi is also asking the tribunal to order INEC to conduct a fresh election into the Kogi West Senatorial District on the basis of irregularities identified in the alternative that he is not declared winner.
