Appeal Court verdict on Mark: We’ll resist ploy to sabotage fresh poll, Idoma youths

Appeal Court verdict on Mark: We’ll resist ploy to sabotage fresh poll, Idoma youths threaten

By Our Reporter  on December 5, 2015   Politics
FROM FRED ITUA, ABUJA
Angered by what they described as a ploy by some el­ements in Benue State to tamper with the outcome of the proposed rerun election in Benue East Senatorial District, some youths under the aegis of Idoma Youths Vanguard have vowed to protect the mandate of a former Senate President, David Mark who was re­cently sacked by a Court of Appeal.
National president of the association, Mr. Mike Ogidi Ocheibi in a statement made available to Saturday Sun in Abuja yesterday, said they were particularly alarmed at the Appeal Court sitting in Makurdi which voided the election of Senator Mark.
“We do not intend to join issues with the respected Appellate tribunal, but we are alarmed and indeed tak­en aback by the verdict. It is strange to us that the appeal panel tied its verdict on the difference in dates and ig­nored the collated results.
“Interestingly, both the PDP and APC candi­dates and their agents did not dispute the election re­sults collated from the vari­ous units duly signed. In fact , both agents signed the results from the units to the senatorial collation centers.
“Everybody turned in re­sults but in the date by the INEC returning officer, he wrote 28th ( the date of the Senatorial election) rather than 29th, the collation date. When his attention was drawn to it he said the election was conducted on 28th and therefore sacro­sanct,” he noted in the state­ment.