The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Delta south senatorial election, Emmanuel Uduaghan, says the election tribunal should have declared him winner of the February 23 poll.
He said this in reaction to the tribunal’s removal of James Manager, his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Manager winner of the election but Uduagahn challenged Manager’s victory.
On Saturday, the tribunal annulled the election and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh one within 90 days.
In a statement which Monoyo Edon, Uduaghan’s media aide, issued on his behalf, the former governor of Delta said the tribunal’s verdict was an affirmation of his position that the election was rigged.
“While we are happy with the tribunal’s judgement which affirmed my party’s position that the election was rigged and characterized with electoral over voting, we are not entirely satisfied with the judgement as the tribunal ought to have deducted the excess illegal votes and declared me and my party rightful winner of the election,” he said.
“In view of this, we shall be challenging the tribunal’s judgement at the Appeal Court to declare us as the outright winner of the February 23rd, 2019 National Assembly Election for Delta South Senatorial District.”
The former governor also thanked his supporters who had waited for the outcome of the poll.
