Buruji Kashamu senate election
It has not been a good year for Buruji Kashamu.After his close shave to being extradited to the United States of America,he has now lost his senatorial seat.
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ogun state has sacked Senator representing
Ogun East Senatorial district, Senator Buruji Kashamu a member of House of Representatives from Ijebu East /Ijebu North /Ogun waterside, Adekoya Adesegun and five members of the state assembly over non-compliance of electoral law.
Earlier,a clear sign of things to come had developed when Indications that the Tribunal would arrive at this conclusion were foreshadowed in the cancellation of the election of Buruji’s party colleague in the House of Representatives, Aremo Adesegun Adekoya Abdel-Majid, who represented Buruji’s Ijebu North local council and two other councils.
Prince Dapo Abiodun, the All Progressives Congress,APC Ogun East Senatorial candidate in the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly Election challenged Kashamu’s victory at the tribunal, claiming that Kashamu was not validly elected.
Instead, Abiodun wanted the tribunal to declare him the winner of the Ogun East Senate seat.
While delivering the judgment this afternoon, Justice Tobi Ebimowei said that there were some irregularities,some anomalies, adding that, some of them have been proven while some were not proven.
Ebimowei disclosed that Ijebu Ode local government area was the only local government out of the nine in Ogun East that election results were not cancelled because the irregularities were minimal.
“We have to cancel in other local government because they were many anomalies and irregularities in local government such as Ijebu North,Ijebu East,Sagamu,Ikenne and Odogbolu,”the judge posited.
He however stated that having perused all the evidences before the tribunal,37,008 votes was declared unlawful on grounds of proven irregularities.
Ebimowei also said the total valid and lawful votes for the first respondent after the deduction and adjustment is now 75,856 compared to 99,540 declared by INEC.
Ebimowei also said the total valid and lawful votes for the first respondent after the deduction and adjustment is now 75,856 compared to 99,540 declared by INEC.
There has been no reaction or statement yet from the Buruji Kashamu camp since the ruling.The law really seems to be taking hold of things in Nigeria at last.Long may it continue,if there are any irregularities in any field whatsoever in the state of affairs of the country,the people of Nigeria expect it to be dealt with in the right and proper manner,surely this is not too much to ask for,and at last,the voice of the people is being listened to.
UPDATE**********
We now have a reaction from the Buruji Kashamu camp following the ruling of the Electoral tribunal...see below..
Statement from his media aide below...
According to the tribunal's findings, Kashamu has 75,856 votes against Dapo Abiodun's 70,677 votes. So how can the person leading be said to have been "sacked"? For who? The losing candidate? We think not.
Besides, the rerun was ordered in 110 out of over 1,135 polling units in the senatorial district.
Certainly, we are going to test veracity of the tribunal's verdict at the Court of Appeal. The tribunal has given its judgment, but it is not the end of the road. That is the beauty of the judicial process.
Signed
So the question is,if Buruji has not been sacked like his media aide has stated here,why are they appealing the judgement? Abi..its a very simply yet effective question.
They are appealing simply because the ruling of the tribunal has stated that he occupies that position in an electoral process that was full of anomalies,therefore the election is null and void.You might sugar coat it any how you want to,but it still leads to the same,Kashamu was sacked,relieved of his post,pending a rerun in 101 polling units in the senatorial district.
UPDATE**********
We now have a reaction from the Buruji Kashamu camp following the ruling of the Electoral tribunal...see below..
Statement from his media aide below...
Our attention has been draw to some media reports that the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Prince Buruji Kashamu, was today sacked by the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. We wish to say that this is not a true reflection of what transpired at the tribunal.Although the tribunal has said the full judgment will be made available on Monday, it could not be said to have sacked Kashamu because, according to it, after the removal of voided votes, Kashamu is still leading with 5,179 votes.
According to the tribunal's findings, Kashamu has 75,856 votes against Dapo Abiodun's 70,677 votes. So how can the person leading be said to have been "sacked"? For who? The losing candidate? We think not.
Besides, the rerun was ordered in 110 out of over 1,135 polling units in the senatorial district.
Certainly, we are going to test veracity of the tribunal's verdict at the Court of Appeal. The tribunal has given its judgment, but it is not the end of the road. That is the beauty of the judicial process.
Signed
So the question is,if Buruji has not been sacked like his media aide has stated here,why are they appealing the judgement? Abi..its a very simply yet effective question.
They are appealing simply because the ruling of the tribunal has stated that he occupies that position in an electoral process that was full of anomalies,therefore the election is null and void.You might sugar coat it any how you want to,but it still leads to the same,Kashamu was sacked,relieved of his post,pending a rerun in 101 polling units in the senatorial district.