Hon. Jarigbe Faults INEC On C’River Senatorial Bye Election

Member representing Ogoja and Yala in the House of Representatives, Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission for announcing Stephen  Odey as winner of the elections.

Hon.  Jarigbe  spoke through Venatius Ikem, the Director General of his campaign organisation and former national publicity secretary of the PDP.

The duo of Hon. Jarigbe Agom  and Stephen Odey have been battling it out in court as to who the authentic candidate of the party is.

A  Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Federal High Court presided over  by Justice Binta Mohammed ruled that Hon Jarigbe Agom did not supply any false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his INEC Form CF001 with regard to educational qualification.

The Court in suit No. CV/77/2020 filed by John Alaga, (complainant),  also held that the Cross River North Senatorial primary election of the PDP wherein Jarigbe (1st defendant) was nominated as the Senatorial candidate was conducted with the authentic list of the Ward and Local Government Area Executives of the party.

The Court therefore directed INEC, sued as the second Defendant, to include and publish the name of Hon. Jarigbe on the list of candidates for the bye election scheduled for 5th December, 2020.

However reacting to the results of the bye election, said they are at a loss as to how INEC  came up with Odey’s name as the candidate  of the party.

According to Ikem, “At the closure of the elections it was clear from all documents made available, that INEC had not reflected the decision of the High Court with respect to the candidature of Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom.

“We are therefore surprised that the returning officer, unilaterally and without justification imported a name of a purported candidate of PDP as the winner of the Northern Senatorial by election of Cross River State, even when INEC had not declared anyone candidate, prior to the election.

“We are aware of a similar situation in Imo north senatorial district bye election where the issue of candidature is still in court, INEC Declared the party winner pending the determination of the court cases”, he said.

While rejecting INEC’s declaration of Odey as PDP’s flag bearer, he called on  supporters to remain law abiding  as the campaign council  is resolved to follow all legitimate processes to redress the injustice.